sSn Hrrt
by citrus luver
Summary: A game that demands everything but in return grants an eternal wish. A boy plays, determined to reach that ultimate goal only to gain something else... a destiny not meant to be. Shonen-ai!
1. Prologue: Konbonwa Minna

sSn Hrrt

by Citrus Luver

Author's Note: First of all, I promise my title means something. It's not a brunch of gibberish. I can promise you that much, but what it means I won't tell. It's a secret, a secret that will be revealed later in the fic that is. But, if you don't figure out what the title means by the end of this fic, I'll tell you in the author's note of the final chapter. I know I'm evil. Second, Yami will be called Atemu. Third, Japanese names for the characters will be used. Fourth, there is no 'shadow realm' in this fic. They just die. Painful but true. Fifth, 'shadow games' will be called 'dark games' or 'yami no game'. Depending on how I feel when I write that day.

Oh and if you aren't fond of yaoi, shonen-ai, you know boy kissing boy I would advice you to trek no further. One, I don't want reviews flaming me saying, it's gross or something. You have been warned. What happens after this point is not my fault. Because this fic is going to have shonen-ai maybe even go as far as yaoi, there might be some straight pairings later. I'm not too sure right now.

This is an alternative reality fic. I'm sure even if I don't state this here you can probably figure it out after finishing the prologue. Reasons being the fact that the original manga, the one we all love and cherish, has ended. Yes, ended, there is a set ending, and the anime is soon to follow. Everything that happens after the set ending with Atemu leaving for death is other people's ides and stuff. Because of that reason, this fic will be alternate reality with a lot things in common, as in theories and occurrences just not happened in the same way as in the manga and anime that we all know and love.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters.

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Prologue:

Konbonwa Minna

The boy breathed again. A warm liquid clogged his throat as another tear slid down his cheeks, landing on the large chunk of gold in his hand mixing with the already spluttered traces of blood that covered his hand and the odd multi-sided gold piece. He hated it when he cried, when he cried about his pain.

Chink!

Another piece of the puzzle was in place. His stomach lurched uncomfortably. He cursed at himself mentally… at his carelessness… at fitting another piece in so… so… carelessly. But it wasn't the first time that his blood, his tears had become trapped within the cracks of the puzzle. But that wasn't all, every time he fit in another piece… he never seemed to be able to removed it… binding with it his blood… yet once attached the traces of his flesh seemed to have disappeared into a complete nothingness.

He shook his head unrepentantly.

His hand trembled as he picked up another piece. He stared at it…the weird angles… the shininess of the gold.

No… no… I… I mustn't think like this… no.

Chink!

This one was easier. He didn't even have to think about that one. Sometimes… he couldn't help but wonder did the puzzle _wanted _to be put together? If it had a silent yet magnetic force of its own. Or were they just his own longings.

Chink!

A drop of red fell from his lips landing on the puzzle. Before he could wipe it away, it too became part of the gold chunk… snapping into place. Drawn like a magnet. The redness disintegrated into nothing… as if the puzzle was sucking it in… taking in his blood as priceless nutriment… like that of a vile and cautious vampire… taking away his soul… his life.

Chink!

His breath hitched again. It was easy tonight. _Easy._ _Funny._ He almost felt like laughing… yet the warm liquid in his mouth wouldn't allow it. He swallowed forcing the intrusive and ever persistent bile back down… leaving a pungent and vile taste in his mouth.

Chink!

"Yuugi!" A voice broke the small little void that the young boy had built for himself. No longer did he possess the feeling or longing to complete the puzzle any more.

Just a few more too. I guess today's not the day. Then again when is it ever… my time?

He rubbed the sides of the gold piece… the brilliance of the golden sparkle that the puzzle gave off created once more that certain longing.

Someday. Someday I will finish you… and when that time comes… freedom… freedom will come. I'll finally be free… free of… of everything.

"Yuugi!" The voice called again… this time more persistence and louder as the voice carried into his room. The boy sighed… as he glazed longingly at the almost complete puzzle, just a couple of more pieces… then, then he could finally make his wish that he had been promised. He placed his prized possession back in the gold box engraved with Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, writing that even his grandfather, one of the world's top Ancient Egyptian expert couldn't fully decipher. But there was one symbol, a symbol that stood out beyond all the other symbols, an eye. The boy knew who the eye belonged to and symbolized, it was Horus's eye. An eye that spoke of power, an eye that pharaohs were associated with, and the boy loved and despised that symbol. Not because it symbolized power, but because of the way it was engraved upon the box. It showed. It shimmered with power, grace, and an artist's passion and love that had lasted for millenniums which now rested in his hands… but… it also brought something else. It brought him pain, and it tore him apart every time he touched the engravings. He looked longingly at the box one last time before placing it into his secret hiding place, under a loose floor board that lay under a piece of carpet in the exact center of the room.

"Yuugi!"

The boy flashed another look at the floor. Everyday, every time he slashed it under his floor it grew harder and harder for him to leave it. It was as if a strong magnetic force drew him to it… to complete it. And it hurt when he left it, as if a piece of his soul and heart was attached to the puzzle and the further away from it he was, the more it hurt… sometimes in the last eight years… he would lose sleep over the pain. When he was young, sometimes he would cry himself to sleep or curl up into a ball… and it would feel like cold knives were lodged in his body… knives that no matter how hard he would tug at could never be removed. And the only remedy towards numbing such intense pain would be working on the puzzle… and even that hurt.

Once, he thought he could escape such torture if he stopped working… then, then maybe he would be able to escape the web that he had driven himself into. After all, his grandfather did tell him that nobody had ever completed the puzzle… some spent their entire life trying to earn that eternal wish only to never receive it. Others had gone mad trying… that's why his grandfather was skeptical about letting his grandson have it that day when he discovered it in the old storage room. But, the plan backfired… for a whole week he refused to even look at the puzzle box, only to wake up each day worse then the next, till one morning his grandfather found him covered in blood… most not even his own. That's when the boy knew… he couldn't escape from the game that he started that fateful day. That's how he knew, how so many before him had failed… and he knew… some of the blood that covered him that day belonged to them. The so many that had failed before him… that's why when the puzzle devoured his own, he knew the puzzle had done it to the so many before him. Now, as he grew older, he grew use to the pain. His brain even learned to block most of it out, now it only felt like numb stabs. Stabs of pain that was as common to him as brushing his teeth or speaking or walking. It was part of his daily routine. Actually he couldn't remember a day when he wasn't in pain anymore.

At least today's Saturday, and a long weekend… hopefully I might even be able to finish this puzzle. Finish it. The boy couldn't help but scoff at his own words, finish. He had never been very accustom to such a word… in his mind… he never thought that anything in the world was even close to being complete… even puzzles, and games. There was always something else you could do with them… but, but this chunk of gold… when the last piece fitted in. It really would be done.

"Yuugi!"

"Coming, Jichan." The words left the boy's mouth… this time easily… the liquid that had once clogged his mouth just seconds before had lifted… like all the other times. He glanced back at the loose plank one last time before grabbing his bag from his chair… last night's homework done and neatly placed back in their appropriate folders. He then reached for the deck of cards on his nightstand. They weren't regular poker cards… but dueling cards. The boy loved the game, Duel Monsters. He was a champion at the game… a legend to duelists everywhere. He had after all beaten not only the creator of the game in his own twisted match but even beaten child prodigy and multi-billionaire Kaiba Seto not once but dozens of times. He was after all the Game King with almost zero loses… a near perfect record.

"Yuugi!" The voice called once more… a little more agitated then before. The boy gulped knowing he was probably going to get it soon… especially if he didn't manage to appear downstairs within the next ten seconds.

The sound of quickened footsteps echoed throughout the house. While downstairs an elder man under five-foot stood… a look of aggravation mixed with an apex form of infuriation was ever visible upon his face. A wooden broomstick in one hand looked ready to split in half at any moment. Three teens were gathered before him… each taller than the next. A look of amusement was present on the two boys… especially the blond who was currently slipping side glances at the large glass display case to his left. A variety of powerful and even rare dueling cards were on display each ready for some obsessed duelist who was eager to fork over a large sum of money to claim.

Unfortunately one, he wasn't rich, so no matter how much he longed for the cards. They would never be his. Two, he knew it was pointless to try to enhance his deck with these cards. His own were after all pretty powerful, and he knew that if he used them the right way… someday… someday in the future he knew he could beat his best friend in a duel. After all that's what a real duelist does, strive for victory and play by honor and respect… not just by throwing out powerful monsters with no strategy. That wasn't the way to win duels, and he knew that… now.

"Yuugi, what took you so long? Something I wonder which one of us is older," scolded Mutou Sugoroku when finally the boy appeared.

"Gomen nasai Jichan," the teen mumbled… a thin streak of crimson red slowing appeared upon his bright, amethyst eyes.

"Don't do it again," scolded Mutou-san.

"Yeah, Yuugi. You almost made us late… again," accused Anzu. She was a pretty, thin brunette, with a pair of flashy midnight blue eyes, adorned with a bright neo-yellow tank top that emphasized her bosom. Something the school wasn't too fond of… because of that a bright blue bow tie was sewn upon her shirt. A mini-skirt traveled suggestively up her long legs. "Not that is wouldn't make those two happy," grumbled the young woman. Her lively blue eyes traveled swiftly to the other two teens in the room.

Honda Hiroto and Jounouchi Katsuya, best friends since middle school, two teens had more of a passion for recreational activities than book-work. A small giggle escaped from Yuugi's lips. "Come on. Let's go before Jounouchi-kun starts drooling over Jichan's case."

"Hai."

Sugoroku sighed… shaking his head helplessly as he watched Anzu drag Jounouchi out the door. They had officially been going to school for a month now… never missing a day something Sugoroku never thought would be possible since that day that Crawford-sama challenged Yuugi to a duel. Life had finally returned to normal. No more skipping school, now they actually had a chance of graduating from high school even Jounouchi with all the money he was winning by placing in dueling tournaments that were held biweekly now and from his job.

Ding!

The final chime of the school bell rang. The sound of students' feet running through the high school just waiting to sprint out the door for their long awaited long weekend. Among those was a strange looking group, only one female among three males. One being pure blond, he had once been know for his teasing and beating others up… even the upper class men when he was younger. Another had brown hair forked to a tip; he too was an ex-bully. He used to follow the blond around. They used to best friends, together they made an unbeatable fighting team. They once were feared by all… now… they rarely even thought about going back to their old ways. Another was a girl. Beautiful, sleek brown hair, shoulder length, she had the best grades in the bunch. A natural leader, a team go-getter, the class president yet instead of hanging out with other girls in her class she instead choose to hang out with these guys. Friends, she had known for years. The last was the most peculiar of the bunch. He had raven black hair that crowned his ivory white skin. Electric yellow bangs forked at the ends that hanged limping over his bright amethyst eyes. Deep red violet highlights outlined the black. He was short… shorter than any of his other friends, yet in matters of games he was a genius, yet he wasn't at all that bright in school. He was a genius in strategies and is able to devise brilliant tactics in short amounts of time, yet in school he couldn't do a simple calculus problem. He could catch any bluff, any cheat, and any flaw, yet he couldn't write a paper with zero mistakes even if his life depended on it. The boy was a genius… anyone could see that when he's playing a game. He was like a prefect creation gone wrong, and that went beyond schooling.

"I hate this new schedule. How do they expect anyone to not die of boredom from listening to someone who talks like that… and none stop too. Heck, I never knew anyone could talk so much in an hour," grumbled Jounouchi Katsuya as he let out another yawn. His eyes looked blood shot as if he hadn't slept in days, which technically he hadn't. For the last few nights, to earn extra money he had been going to Kaiba Corp. to test out their newest inventions which usually turned out to be either testing Kaiba's newest duel disk or his new RPG stimulation. Kaiba Seto had worked him hard… making him earn each yen the hard way. The only good thing that came out of working for Kaiba was that he could earn a lot of extra cash, which working at any restaurant couldn't even match even half of the salary Kaiba gave. As for how he got the job, it was because of the mutual respect and strong rivalry between Yuugi and Kaiba. Ever since Yuugi beat him in middle school in duel monsters, Kaiba had been striving to win back his title as world's greatest and mightiest duelist… a feat that to this day he still hadn't been able to accomplish yet.

"I can," countered Anzu. She rolled her eyes. Her left hand twirled her backpack strap… interweaving it around her index finger.

"Who?" asked Jounouchi. A blank look drew upon his face as he watched Anzu and Honda exchange a mutual, sly look. A small laugh escaped both their lips. "Who?"

"No wonder, Kaiba calls you a mediocre fool."

"Hey! Whose side are you on, Honda?"

"No, Honda's right. You are mediocre, and you talk too much. Even Yuugi agrees with you, right, Yuugi? Yuugi?!"

No answer left the tri-colored boy's lips. Actually he wasn't even looking at his friends or listening for that matter… instead his normally cheerful amethyst eyes were glazed over, holding onto the ground before him. It wasn't as if he was looking at the ground or as if he found anything interesting about it. Actually, it looked like he wasn't all there… like every time when he started thinking a lot… overly a lot. Like before each dueling event… his friends would find him like that. Deep in thought, shuffling though his deck as if he was looking for something that wasn't there. Only, they knew how long those would last, a couple of minutes, fifteen tops. He would be in this daze… in his own little world… as if he had built a wall around himself that couldn't and wouldn't be broken. Yet, there was something else… each time after he came back from his 'little world' and when he drew his first card. It looked like a part of him was tearing away… like a part of his soul was slowly leaving him… as if he wasn't having that much fun dueling… actually… for the longest time. He had never dueled for fun… something big had always been at stake in one form or another.

"Yuugi?" exclaimed Anzu once more. Still no comment… no answer left Yuugi's lips

"Wonder what's wrong with him," muttered Honda.

"He's been like that all day. He almost blew up the chemistry table… remember Honda?"

"He what?!" cried Anzu horrified.

"Yeah, you weren't there were you? But… it was pretty funny. Huh Honda?"

"Yeah, real funny Jounouchi," grumbled Anzu… yet deep down in the pit of her stomach she was worried. Yuugi hadn't been himself since they got back from their trip to America, which had been nearly a month now. He always looked distant. He would rarely smile anymore, his old, genuine, signature smile. The one he used to have back in middle school. He used to smile a lot especially the first year they became friends with Jounouchi and Honda. Now, he would only smile for them… not because he wanted too… but because he had to. Quite often he could be would on the school roof during lunch glazing into the middle of no where… and every time she would question him about it. He always seemed offended… as if that time was his own… his private time… and place. Something that other people shouldn't know about.

The final beams of sunlight that day cast upon the four friends as they left the school… blinding them momentarily. The blinding heat surrounded them as summer slowly closed in. It had been another hot day. The temperature soaring high in the upper 30's. There wasn't a single cloud in the darkening sky to shade them from the final blazing rays of sunlight that remained in the day. It was almost eight at night now. The stars and the full moon would be coming out soon. The Saturday night traffic of families going home. The sounds of the final rounds of the metro bus as it speeded though the city avoiding yet another red light. The students' voices as they left to finish their final errands foe the day. Seldom could the sound of a bird's calls be heard. This bustling city filled with its numerous people was like all the other cities in the highly dense Japan.

Once again they neglected to take the bus home. Another hour's walk awaited them, since going home that always chose the long way though the park. Sometimes they would even stop at a dueling store to check out the competition or even buy another pack of dueling cards, but not tonight. Tonight had been the longest day that spent at school all week.

"Yuugi," Anzu muttered again laying her hand upon her childhood friend's shoulder. It took the sixteen-year-old awhile to discover an added on weight to one of his shoulders.

"Huh?" He muttered looking up. His eyes blazed with innocence. A small blush glazed his porcelain cheeks. "Gomen ne. Boku…"

"You okay, Yuugi?" asked Jounouchi… a trace of worry lingered in his voice. He too feared for Yuugi. It was something he just couldn't keep himself from doing. He like Anzu and Honda both feared for Yuugi as if, he could be taken from them at anytime. As if he wasn't normal like them, but he stood on a different plain from them… a higher plain. As if he was a porcelain doll that could shatter and break at anytime, sometimes when Yuugi gave them one of his stares… it looked as if he was staring deep into your soul. As if he was waiting for someone to speak, to break him from his curse or even to tell him that this wasn't his place that he didn't belong here. He, Anzu and Honda had many discussions about that when they first became friends. Wondering if was he supposed to be somewhere else? If his life, his very fate was messed up, was destiny playing a cruel joke on him just to torture or test him some more, yet they never spoke of such things. They didn't dare… fearing that it might cut their time short with the teen that had in more ways than one, changed them all… in one way or another.

"Huh? Why do you ask, Jounouchi-kun?"

"Oh… err…" mumbled the young man going off into one of his normal nonchalant mumbling. A groan escaped Honda's lips as Anzu sighed. They were hopeless. Jounouchi was well… he could seldom finish a sentence around Yuugi when he acted like this lately without chickening out. As for Honda, he was most of the time not always there. Kawai Shizuka, Jounouchi's sister had been keeping him busy lately. The two had been dating for two weeks now, Honda's longest girlfriend ever… actually his first. Him and Miho's relationship didn't turn out so good… turned out she wasn't really into him and only used him to get free lunches and other stuff… stuff Honda still wasn't ready to indulge upon.

Once again it was up to her to come up with something quick before Yuugi got too suspicious. That was his one true flaw, he believed in people a little too much… that everyone had a good side to them… that's how Bakura Ryou nearly killed him. How Crawford Pegasus nearly destroyed him, his grandfather, Kaiba Seto and Kaiba Mokuba. How Seto nearly killed them all in his little 'amusement' park. How Malik nearly killed him with all his 'slaves'. Finally how Dartz nearly destroyed him and tried to reset the whole world. Why, Malik and Dartz hated Yuugi so much to this day they never quite figured out. They had even come up with a strange idea that maybe there really was a fate and destiny in this world. That they were traveling on one path and them on the other one, and something went wrong that destroyed the link between the two paths causing nothing to make sense.

"Yuugi, Jounouchi, Honda you guys want to go to the arcade tomorrow? Have some fun before school starts up again?"

"Yay! Arcade! I'm all for it," shouted Jounouchi. A smile immediately spread over his face at the thought of going to play games.

"I'm up to it. Shizuka and I don't have a date tomorrow," said Honda… even as he spoke they knew he was mentally going through his schedule. A sour look appeared on Jounouchi's face at the mention of his sister. He still felt uneasy about the fact that Honda was dating his little sister… at least it wasn't Otogi who Shizuka fell for. He still was a little bitter about being put in the dog costume and having majority of the city watch his degradation from top duelist to a mutt.

"Well…" said Yuugi uneasily. "I don't know. I should probably help Jichan run the store tomorrow. I haven't been helping him lately… and…"

"Yuugi! It's just half a day to a day tops, and we've been working really hard lately…"

"Hmph," coughed Anzu under her breath.

"Okay, you and Anzu have at least. You deserve a break besides I want to challenge you to at least one game tomorrow. We haven't played arcade games in nearly a year now."

"Well…" muttered Yuugi. A thoughtful expression slowly appeared upon his face like when's he's trying to make an important decision.

"Come on Yuugi. If you say no, we'll come to game shop tomorrow and kidnap you if you don't get there by noon," threatened Jounouchi. A laugh escaped Yuugi's lips.

"All right… all right. I'll come Jounouchi-kun. I don't think Jichan will be too happy if you try kidnapping me again. He almost killed you with his broom last time."

"Yeah, that bruise lasted for a week," grumbled Jounouchi. He cringed just thinking about that experience. It was back when they first became friends. Jounouchi had wanted Yuugi to come to the arcade with him at midnight for the all night event, but Yuugi had declined. Unfortunately Jounouchi wouldn't take no for an answer and ended up trying to break into Yuugi's bedroom. Unfortunately he got the rooms mixed up and ended in Sugoroku's bedroom instead. The old man thinking Jounouchi was a robber bashed him on the head with his broomstick. Jounouchi's screams had awaken Yuugi which was the only reason he didn't end up in the ER.

A laugh escaped from Honda at the mention of that incident. He still remembered Jounouchi walking into the class the next day with a huge bump on his head. He had teased Jounouchi weeks about that, something he wished he hadn't done now. It was one of those little things that Honda did in the past that caused Jounouchi to cringe each time he went over to his house to pick up Shizuka. That was another difference in Jounouchi's life. His father had died two weeks earlier from some drug overdose, which only left his mother as his only other living relative. As luck would have it, she found a new job here with her new husband, the two haven been married for two months at that time. Now, at least Jounouchi's life was a little more stable. At least he had a clean house to come home to each night and a regular meal. The only disadvantage to this living arrangement was the fact that his new stepfather found Jounouchi to be inferior in every way possible, which was why he couldn't count on his new father for any more support than his biological drunk father. That was the reason, he worked for Kaiba even through it had caused his degradation back to a mediocre fool.

The rest of the walk the game shop was done in silence… it was an awkward silence, one that rarely happened. Jounouchi was still sour that Anzu beat him in a video game at Burger World and gotten into an argument with Honda when he mocked him about his defeat. While Yuugi had once more slipped back into his subdued self. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk. He longed to talk, share everything with his friends, but he couldn't. It hurt too much. Ever since he left the game shop this morning, the pain that normally demised into short stabs of pain by that time he got to school had only gotten worse. Not only did his stomach feel like it was on fire, but this strange music filled his head. It was as if it was intruding into his personal space, and no matter how hard he tried to push it away. It kept coming back worse each time.

By the time he pulled opened the door to the game shop, nearly all the strength left within him was gone. All he could manage from his dried lips was a simple 'ja'. A simple wave of his hand felt like swords stabbing into his hand. He watched his friends leave, turning at the block to return to their separate houses. It was late. With quarter exams coming up, school had been extended an extra couple of hours each night, sometimes even Sunday school was required. It was one of those new rules that the government had just started to require.

The game shop was dark like it normally was. The grandfather clock in the living room chimed ten. His grandfather was probably asleep by now or up in his bedroom watching some perverted TV show. Each step pained him as he grabbed hold of the support afraid that he would topple over any second. The staircase seemed so long today. His legs felt like lead as they weighed him down. The sound of voices came from his grandfather's bedroom. Yuugi immediately knew his grandfather was watching TV again and from past experience knew it was a bad idea to pester or even attempt to talk with him when a pretty lady had already captured his attention. Besides, Yuugi worried if he even had the energy to speak without toppling over, and he didn't want his grandfather to worry about his health especially with an important gaming convention coming up.

Placing his backpack on a chair, his attention suddenly fell to the loose floorboard. The almost complete puzzle laid there just waiting to be completed. It took almost all his remaining energy and self control to not yank the plank loose and finish the puzzle. Yuugi had long deduced that tonight was the night, no matter how long it would take. He would finish the puzzle tonight. The pain coming back to full power. His strength demising, they were all signs that tonight would be the night that he could try to finish his ten long years of struggles.

Yuugi sighed as he sank into the warm water. All tension slowly drifted away. The soreness and aching pain in his back slowly drifted away into oblivion. An old song was playing, one of his grandfather's many CDs that he kept over the years.

"Chotto shita asobi demo... Tsuminonai uso demo... Sonna omoi de ni... Kokoro ga uzuku yo," sang Yuugi. The words flowed out of his lips matching the singer's perfectly. That was another one of Yuugi's many hidden talents. He was a wonderful vocalist, yet he was too shy and embarrassed to sing in front of other people. Only his close friends and grandfather had ever heard him sing before. Anzu once even tried signing Yuugi up for auditions to be the school's Christmas performance. He had declined saying he wasn't good enough.

"Doko kara ka waite kuru yuuki to kibou de. Obore sou ni natteru kimi o tasuke ni. Dare ni mo shinjite moraenai donna ni. Nagai michi o aruite mayou koto naku susundemo." His voice slowly decrescendo, the candles that he had let in the bathroom flicked before going out, leaving only the distinct fragrance of lotus blossoms in the atmosphere. Yuugi sighed sinking deeper into the watery abyss.

A loud knock broke the silence, dragging Yuugi out of his motionless and mindless state. "Yuugi, you in there?" The voice of his grandfather covered in the pitch-black bathroom.

Yuugi sighed pulling his now nearly numbed body out of its laying down position. "Hai, Jichan."

"Turn the lights on. I don't want you slipping in there. Oh, and I left you a midnight snack in your room. Don't stay up too late."

"I won't Jichan. Arigatou ne, Jichan." The sound of retreating footsteps then the sound of a door pulling shut announced that once more the house was empty and quiet. Once again he tried leaning back, but this time tranquillity wouldn't come. He dunked his head once more into the tub before stepping out. Remembering his grandfather's words of caution Yuugi hit the light switch. The once aromatic candle now lay limping on a plate. Now the only traces left of it was the amethyst wax that dripped onto the sink. Yuugi sighed before yawning. He placed his hands on the sink for support as he stared at his reflection. His skin emitted a flush red tone, which normally was pure ivory white. Beads of water trailed down his face. Yuugi sighed in contentment before pulling on his pajamas, a shade of beautiful baby blue with little yellow stars. His hair hang limping, traces of water still dripped down his face. He took the wax pan with him as he exited the room. He would deposit it in a trash can later.

Suddenly, the hall seemed so ominous. It was a feeling he never experienced before. The striking of the grandfather clock downstairs announced the time, eleven. The witching hour would start soon. Yuugi trembled even though it was so hot now. The heat around him seemed to enclose around him. It was just like those horror movies that Jounouchi was so fond of watching, which normally meant dragging Yuugi with him. As he passed his grandfather's bedroom, he suddenly felt so meek and alone. He set the pan down on the floor before standing up. His breath became raspy again. Half of him wanted to run into his grandfather's room and ask to sleep with him. Something he did a lot when he was little when there was a thunderstorm. Yuugi wasn't fond of thunderstorms at all, especially when the lightening and thunder happened at the same time.

"Yuugi, you need something?" A tired, yet concerned voice questioned. Without knowing it, Yuugi had opened the door to his grandfather's room and walked in. Sugoroku was still awake. A novel in his hands, a small lamp emitted a warm glow something Yuugi longed for now… warmth even though it was so hot… even this late at night.

"Nothing, Jichan," said Yuugi quickly. "I… I just wanted to say, good night." The boy mumbled before turning around to leave.

"'Night, Yuugi." The old man chuckled as he watched his sixteen almost seventeen-year-old grandson exit. "Pleasant dreams," he whispered even though he knew Yuugi couldn't possibly have heard him… it just felt right saying it this time. A warm smile stayed on Sugoroku's face as he marked his large novel and set it aside. He flicked the light off and slid into a dreamless sleep.

While Yuugi had just made it back into his room, the almost complete puzzle laid in hands. It had taken a lot out of him to not beg his grandfather to let him stay with him for the night, yet somehow… haven said good night it made him feel like a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He didn't know why… but it just felt important to say 'good night'.

Clink!

Once more, another gold piece snapped into piece. Yuugi gasped. The pain returning once more. The vile, bitter liquid forming around his esophagus as if waiting to forever suffocate him. His hand hit the cold sides of the gold puzzle box before drawing out another piece. The sides protruding outwards. The young teen absentmindedly stroked it. Rubbing it against his fingers. The coldness felt so nice, so much like an ice cube. His stomach turned… yearning to regurgitate the midnight snack his grandfather had left for him. Yuugi gasped. The piece slipped from his hands and fell into place.

Clink!

That had never happened before… a piece falling into place like that. Maybe just five, ten tops before it would finally be done. Yuugi grinned. Butterflies slowly started to form in the pitch of his stomach. _Would he actually do what so many before him had failed at? Would he be able to make that wish that that had been promised to him?_

Clink!

Another piece, another step closer. His mind burned. The song within his mind soared. Glory was so close. Once more Yuugi reached for the box, only to stop himself mid way. It was the first time he had ever done so. His glaze fretted to his phone. For one uneasily moment a strange surge plagued him… it was mixed with uncertainty and fear. What would happen when he finished he puzzle? Not once, in these last ten years had he ever questioned what would happen when he finally placed that last piece into the puzzle. It wasn't something he had ever worried about, but now… as the moments drew near Yuugi couldn't help but wonder? What would happen? Would the pain go away? Would he be alone again… bored without anything to do? Would it feel different than any other completion?

Once again the phone caught his attention. He dropped the near complete puzzle on the ground. It felt so easy as if the puzzle wanted him to go to the phone. Absurd. Yuugi sighed before dialing a number. He wasn't sure who he had exactly called till the answering machine picked up. Jounouchi. He had called Jounouchi… yet as the long beep ended… Yuugi wasn't sure what to say. "Konbonwa Jounouchi-kun. Yuugi." Somehow as he hung up the phone a strange feeling of completion filled his soul. Once more he dialed a number… Honda this time. The machine picked up. Like with Jounouchi's message he said the same… then with Anzu. As he finished calling his three friends… relief filled his heart. It just felt odd… something he had never done before telling his friends good night, but this time it felt right. A tingling feeling went through his heart as the next four pieces slipped into pass. All the while he felt at ease… the pieces slipping together. Even the blood that fell from his mouth didn't bother him for once. The inability to breathe, the pain in his stomach… he couldn't feel any of it.

Clink!

Another piece done. Yuugi gasped… just one more left. One more… the center piece… somehow he knew the center would only take one piece. His hands trembled… _Am I really going to be able to do with no other has ever done before? Complete this puzzle?_ His hand trembled as it reached into the hieroglyphic inscribed puzzle box only to touch gold… solid gold. There were no more pieces left. Startled and distressed Yuugi picked the box up… and shook it. He didn't know why he shook it… cause he knew there was nothing in it. Tears steamed down his amethyst eyes as he went to the secret compartment in the floor. He dug around in the dark to find nothing. Tears fell blinding him as he tore his room apart looking for the missing piece only to discover that it wasn't anywhere. Tears steamed down his face… damping his pajamas. The glow that the puzzle once gave off was gone… now it laid on the ground… lifeless. His strength was gone… the adrenaline rush left him exhausted as he collapsed next to the puzzle. His hands hugging it tightly. Tears fell as he waited for death to claim him like with all that couldn't finish the puzzle. "Ilie, ilie, ilie…" he continued to whisper.

"I failed," whispered the boy. "I failed you… mister." An image of that strange man dressed in a white robe… a turban on his head filled Yuugi's mind. His eyes were blue… they showed no life in them. Around his neck was an ankh and in his tanned hands was a scale. His voice was different, strong, and filled with sadness. He was the man that gave him the task of finishing the puzzle… told him of the wish… and his sacrifice to finished this ancient puzzle. How, once he completed it his one true desire could become a reality if he was the chosen one destined to possess the puzzle. The strange man had even told him that he had sensed something different from Yuugi… something he never sensed from any other soul. Now… now Yuugi felt like a failure as the room suddenly went dark. A strong warm breeze blew into the room disturbing his already ransacked room. _Guess I have to clean it tomorrow...if I live._

Blood slipped from Yuugi's mouth pouring over the puzzle… his eyes dulled over… as darkness would soon claim him. Just as his eyes closed… he thought he saw a blinding gold light. "Guess I'm going to see what death is like," Yuugi mumbled bitterly. "Sayonara Jiichan, Jounouchi-kun, Honda-kun, Anzu. Arigatou…" His whispered as his eyes closed… trapping him into darkness…

----TBC------

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A/N: Okay. First of all I know Yuugi beat Kaiba when he's in high school, and he didn't become friends with Honda and Jounouchi till high school either. I just need them to be friends earlier in this fic without them having them to be older than what they are in anime/manga cause I need their ages the way they stand with Yuugi just about to turn seventeen. Also I know, Yuugi completed the puzzle in eight not ten years. Another change that I need without changing their ages so technically here, he gets the puzzle just before he turns seven. Also everything that happened in the anime/manga starting with original yami no game to Atemu returning to Japan from the KC Grand pix, instead of finishing in one to one and a half years, here is took a little over two years. As for the whole puzzle completion thing more will be explained later. So how was it? I'm not even sure if this is original or what. I haven't read a whole lot of Yu-gi-oh fanfics, just a note, most are actually yaoi and set in modern times. Very few have I read are actually set in the ancient times. So if anyone already wrote a fic like this… all I can say is gomen… gomen nasi and hopefully mine will be different as the fic progresses... cause this summary is a little off from the actually plot line of this fic. Cause I can't give the second half till later without ruining everything. So besides that, how was it? Good, bad, indifferent please tell me? Next chapter… uh… coming soon… depending on if it's likable.


	2. Chapter 1: Amethyst meets Crimson

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A/N: I don't have a clue how people are taking this fic. Don't even know if I'm going to continue writing this fic since I'm not sure how many people actually like it. So here's chapter 1, another experimental chapter for this fic. Oh and side note. Uh… first I want to say is… this chapter might lead to some disturbing mental images. Readers with queasy stomachs are advised to tread with caution. That's the first part, after the (666), yeah those things, the disturbing part will be over. Number two, please read this chapter with an open mind. I'm sure a lot of questions will arise after you all finish reading this chapter. Things that I'm pretty sure won't make a lot of sense, but I'm pretty sure that most things that you guys are going to assume are accurate… at least the fundamental part of it. Oh and here's a warning. A lot of the characters in this chapter will be out of character… actually I'm not sure what their 'anime/manga' counterparts act like since they won't exactly featured. Confusing I know. They are actually based on a picture of them I saw only I made them younger.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters.

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Chapter 1:

Amethyst meets Crimson

The blazing sun cast over a desert oasis. Sand dunes baked in the hot, steaming sunlight producing the essence of steam everywhere. A small pack of horses carrying their passengers formed a long line. It was a caravan. They were very common now. Trade had prospered over the years here. Goods, merchandise and even slaves were transported throughout the empire in such a cruel form. Many perished in the hot, blazing sun before making it to the next town or village or even to the next watering hole, which could be days, sometimes weeks or months away. Each man was covered in a long white robe. Their heads covered with a cloth turban. In the back, two stood out before all others. They looked different, more prestigious as if they didn't belong in this band. As if that just joined the caravan for safe transport to their destination, a wave of awe, holiness and wonderment covered their auras. Even their horses looked different from the ones the merchants had. Theirs were fitter, like racehorses groomed for the harsh desert climate. Yet something else stood out about these two, that set the line that divided them from the rest of the band, the two gold items around their necks. They each had one that sparkled in the sunlight. One had the shape of a circle with five gold spears hanging loosing from it, tied to a rope that hung around the owner's neck. They were like the hands of a clock. In the center was a triangle shaped piece with the symbol of the eye of Horus engraved upon it. While the other was a necklace made out of pure gold, it too had the engravings of the symbol of the eye of Horus upon it.

"Look… smoke," a voice broke the silence that the atmosphere enclosed upon them.

"Fire!" Another exclaimed. The sound of the quickening of the horse's pace was the only reply to such a sudden announcement that followed leaving the two young owners of the golden items farther and farther behind. It was the one with the ring that suddenly pulled to stand still halt. The other momentarily realized that her traveling partner had stopped before she too turned around. "Yes, Hafiz."

Hafiz, the younger of the two made no comment for moments before speaking. "You think we should go check it out?" asked Hafiz.

"Of course we should. There are innocent villagers that might need our help. It is after all our sworn duty to help all in need."

"And if it's an ambush, Raja?"

The other, Raja made no movement to counter on such a reply. She squinted up at the blazing ball of fire before speaking. "It'll be night soon. Ra's going to make his daily trek to rebirth soon. I don't think we could make it to the next town before then. Any ways we'll have to camp out tonight. If it really is an ambush at least this way we'll have a larger number."

"But… we are almost home. Probably just a few hours more, we can ride without light. If we stay here, we lose a day," countered Hafiz.

"There are thieves and bandits around this region. That's probably how this town was burned to the ground in the first place. Few hours won't be enough time to make it home. Besides it's just the two of us, we'll be outnumbered even if we use our ka."

Hafiz sighed. He hated it when he was wrong even though it was to his childhood best friend. The two had grown up together. Now, even their occupation took them in the same direction, serving their supreme lord. Raja smirked. She had won this argument, her fifth one this trip, a record for her. A pout appeared upon Hafiz's lips as the two caught up with the caravan as they entered the mass of cremating bodies. The fire had died down by then. The only once indication of there ever being one was the now destroyed town, the dead bodies, and the darkness of the sand around them.

It was like a war zone. The smell of body odor reached the men's noses. Raja almost retched at the sight of the body of a young girl. What was believed to be her mother's laid beside her… hugging her. The sound of hooting carried into their ears. It was coming from the caravan master and his workers. They had obviously struck gold by the way they were now looking. Raja felt her teeth tighten… such a despicable act of treason… stealing from the dead. Such a crime was just like stealing from a pharaoh's tomb. "Let them be Raja. It's their way of life. There is no law stating someone can't take from a massacre site. Come, we should probably see if there are any survivors left. It's the most we can do at this point. It'll be murder if we try to track down the culprits at this point," Hafiz spoke. His voice quiet, sickened by the mass killing that probably had just taken place an hour or so earlier.

Raja nodded. Afraid her voice would break. Even though she had witnessed so many of these mass killings over the years, each one still affected her, the same sickening way. She watched Hafiz go one way. Leading his horse, each time he saw a person he would check and see if they were dead or not. Each one turned out the same…dead like the last.

She felt her heart thumping. The beatings quickened. This village once filled with hope and the sound of children's laughter, Egypt's pride now gone forever. Once, this town had probably been like all the others that she came to see this last week.

She could almost picture what sort of place this small town had once been. The merchants bidding and selling there goods, making a honest living. The farmers working in their fields planing for a good harvest this year. The yearly flooding of the Nile would happen in about another month bringing the rich soil that was always promised. The sound of children's voice as they played in the streets.

The blazing sun cast down at her. A light breeze blew from the air turning the sand that she walked upon. The cloth that covered her face fluttered revealing traces of long brown hair that cascaded down her face. Her skin looked burnt. Shades of deep red covered her almost flawless deep brown skin. A pair of deep brown pupils filled with turmoil, yet she refused to let them show. She couldn't show emotion. She had after all failed just moments before when she first witnessed the massacre.

Each carcass she saw. She wanted to vomit. The dried blood that some of the villagers had that covered their bodies. They were shredding and pealing. The birds would get their fill tonight. That was for sure. A feast for the animals, and a fortune to be made by the caravan. That was sad. On and on she kept moving. More and more bodies… it was like a sea of dead bodies… dead souls that would soon be judged by Osiris. Lord Osiris would be busy tonight. That was for sure.

"H… h… help," a muffled voice called. _Was someone alive? Or is it just my false sense of hope._ "Help," the voice cried again. It was hollow and low in the alto range… she couldn't even decipher if it was belonging to a man or a woman.

"Raja." Startled she turned. She scanned her range of vision to find Hafiz not far away. He was leaning beside… something. A look of horror was very evident upon his face. She quickened her pace pulling her horse along with her before reaching Hafiz. She too gasped. It was an elder woman with long white threads of hair. Her face was brown, but not sun burned like hers. Wrinkles covered the majority of her face. A deep cut ran along the side her face… dried blood covered most of it… at the least the bleeding had stopped. She was lying on her side. One of her hands wasn't visible as if it was trying to hide something.

"Hafiz… we… we…"

The young man nodded… his sense of astonishment left him. He nodded before standing up. "I'll go see if the caravan master has something for her." Raja nodded, clasping her partner's hand as he left. "W… wait," gasped the old woman. Her voice soft and filled with pain as she sputtered out the words. She tried reaching for Hafiz's robe only to miss.

"Shh… don't try talking. Hafiz's going to get help for you," smoothed Raja. She took the old woman's hand… creasing and rubbing it lightly. "You'll be fine." The woman shook her head. She moaned in pain once before opening her eyes once more.

"S… save the c…child," she gasped… her voice labored and harsh as she spoke.

"Child?!" Raja gasped. Catching herself before speaking. "Of course. I'll save the child. W… where is it?"

The old woman motioned with her index finger… pointing to a bundle that was placed behind her. Raja gasped… trying had not to scream at the sight she saw before her. Now she knew where the old woman's other hand was… and why… why she knew she couldn't be saved. Her other hand… her whole arm was detached before her body. The bleeding still hadn't stopped. She gulped. She hated looking at this type of things. A whole bone could be seen… broken and now laid in two pieces. The hand laid covering the bundle the woman had pointed it. She gulped before moving the hand to reveal a small child… a boy. Her heart skipped a bit. The child… he was simply adorable. His skin was flawless… untainted by Ra's rays, and foreign not like her own. It was pale, ivory white. A small smile had formed upon his face. Beautiful blond bangs hang limply over his face forked like lightning. A mass of black hair crowned his face as red violet highlights encircled the tips. The child was so tiny… and looked even smaller as he was draped in a small white robe. He looked so foreign as if he didn't exactly belong here, yet at the same time she felt like he did. Fine, coarse sand stained parts of the blanket and his face. Lightly Raja wiped them away afraid to awake the child, yet the child didn't even stir. His chest rose and fell matching the sound of his light sharp breaths.

"What is his name?" asked Raja quietly… turning. She felt as if her heart stopped beating then. The old woman… she was dead. Raja couldn't help but wonder. _Was the safety of her grandson what kept her alive? Now that he was safe was it her time to move on? _Raja fell to her knees cradling this young child… who had even in his sleep had already won her heart. Even though she was taught not to show emotions… this experience that she had just lived though… her years of training towards priesthood broke. Tears fell spattering everywhere. Some landed on the dried blood of the now dead old woman… once more the blood ran… surrounding her and the young, sleeping orphan boy in a sea of red blood. She cried for the dead woman. She cried for the people whose lives were taken by such a sick and horrid act. And she cried for the young child she now held in her arms. His parents, his loved ones were dead… gone forever. She cried for the selfless action this woman had taken to save him… giving up her arm… her life to save him.

And that was how Hafiz found Raja moments later… in her sea of sorrow. A small bag in his hand that he had borrowed from the caravan master… yet as he neared his childhood friend… he knew he was too late. He too was filled with undying sorrow at the thought of losing somebody they might have been able to save. He too tried to hold back his tears, but failed as he walked up to Raja, wrapping his arms around her. Then, he noticed the sleeping child in her arms. "Who is he?"

"The l… last hope," Raja whispered… her tears had long ceased. Her eyes dull and bland as she looked down at the dying message the old woman had written to them. She hadn't noticed it till seconds before.

"I guess we should probably find him a home when we get back to Khemet."

"No, we're keeping him."

"What!" gasped Hafiz… horrified at such a suggestion. "But… but Pharaoh. He… we… he won't approve."

"The old woman sacrificed everything, so he could live. We own her that much for him to get a loving family."

"Raja, I'm sure there had tons of families… loving families in Khemet who would love to raise him. Besides… we… couldn't. We both have children… the future priests and priestess and holders of the Sennen items. We… can't… possibly."

"Why Hafiz?" muttered Raja. "Can't you see? He's lost everything and more. So young and already alone in this world, doesn't he remind you of someone?"

Hafiz sighed before nodding, already knowing that he was beaten. "Fine. I won't say anything bad if the Pharaoh asks for my opinion, but at for the final decision. Only this child has the power to convince Pharaoh how worthy he is. Only the true nature of his ka can determine his fate."

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The foreboding palace of the god himself loomed in the distance. The gold that the newly crafted palace sparkled in Ra's radiance as if showing approval. "We're finally home," mumbled Hafiz. The ring that hung limply around his neck sparkled and lit up as the two young priests neared the palace gates.

"Yes, Hafiz. We're finally home," the young woman whispered. The young child that had been placed in their possession cradled in her arms. A wool blanket covered his body from the harsh winds of Egypt. She shifted the child in her arms as she they entered the gates of the palace. The guards nodded in approval welcoming them home. Once dismounted they left the horses with the stable master before entering the palace. A young slave girl awaited them. Her head bowed down in respect as the two entered. Raja nodded commanding the young girl to raise and speak. "Pharaoh is waiting for your presence Priest and Priestess after you have had a time to wash up."

"Very well. Tell Pharaoh that we'll be there shortly," commanded Hafiz waving the young girl away. She bowed once more in respect before running off to the throne room.

"Well, Raja. Should we tell Pharaoh now or wait till the boy awakes?"

"We'll see his mood… then decide when to tell him." Hafiz nodded, leaving the young priestess with the child. Raja sighed shaking her head. Hafiz… was a coward. There was nothing else she could say about him. A complete coward… even though he tried not to show it. He had a good heart but was a complete coward. Lucky his son didn't inherit his father's bravery. She watched Hafiz disappear around a corner before making her way to her room. The sound of light-hearted children's voices filled the hallway. She instantly recognized their owners. One was her own daughter, Isis, the other was the young prince himself and finally another priest-in-training Seto. She glanced at the window nearby. Ra was at the halfway point. It was noon. Of course, the children were on lunch break now from their studies. She quickly walked into her room and closed the door behind her. Now wasn't the time to see her daughter, or let them see the child in her arms.

"M… my lady," a young girl's voice whimpered. Startled, Raja turned before sighing. It was just her chamber slave… her personal servant. "Yes."

The young slave girl blushed, bowing before her mistress. "D… do you want your bath heated?" asked the young girl timidly.

"Yes, and find a set of young boy's clothes too. Then leave u… me," the young priestess spoke quickly correcting her mistake.

"Y… yes my lady," the young girl spoke. She bowed before leaving for the connective room where the bath was located. Each room of any important personnel had an adjoining bath. Actually it was a large pit in the ground. The sides were either made of real gold, the pharaoh's room, or other materials not as valuable but just as rare and priceless. A small heating pit was placed near a window where water could be boiled. Raja sighed slipping into a chair… the child still in her arms. A cloth was draped around his body so that only his small, fragile face could be seen. The golden sun baked blond bangs and the ebony hair tainted with red black was roused from the light gush of wind that was blowing faintly in from the open window. The only haven from the hot, blazing temperature ever present in Egypt till nightfall.

Raja ran her hands through the child's blond bangs… smoothing them out. Specks of burnt sand fell to the ground, but she paid no heed to the sand that now littered her once clean floor. Still the child slept… unaware of his new surroundings. Her hand stopped above his bright red lips… petite… a perfect fit for his porcelain doll shaped face. A slow and ever constant production of water vapor came from his lips, the only indication that the youth had not yet left the face of this world. She sighed watching the rise and fall of his chest. He was so precious… beautiful even in his sleep. It was enchanting and exhilarating. He was simply adorable… innocent beyond compare. More innocent and naïve than any child she had ever seen before. Just looking at the sleeping form of the young boy, she knew there was no way Pharaoh could turn down this innocent child.

"M… my lady," the young slave girl whispered… awaking Raja from her thoughts.

Startled Raja glazed up. "Yes."

"T… the bath is ready, a… and here are the clothes."

"Set them over there… then leave," commanded Raja. Words she normally never said. Her slaves usually helped her wash and dress. They would be the ones to bathe and dress her. A common custom that she had grown quite use to over the years.

"Y… yes my lady," muttered the young girl… a little startled and frightened. Such an act from her mistress wasn't at all a common deed… it normally meant for any slave that their time in life was going to be cut short. The young girl quivered as she bowed before quickly leaving the room. Afraid that she would break down any second… her father's scolding and her mother's crying was ever present in her mind. Such a thing had happened to her elder brother just months ago… now… he was already gone… long judged by Osiris for worth.

The door slapped close. As Raja watched her slave girl's retreat, she was tempted to call her back, but the young boy's heartbeat reminded her of his presence. She couldn't run the risk of exposing the child to anyone else at this moment… not till Pharaoh and the other priests judged his worth. For now, she would have to do the common deeds that she hadn't performed in ages… not since she was little and still living in her old village.

Raja watched the child sleep in arms. Each not moving… as if time stood still, waiting for one or the other to move. It was the unconscious child that broke the spell first. A small quick movement in opening his mouth before quickly closely it broke the surreal atmosphere. Pharaoh's meeting immediately came to mind. The fact that both she and the child were still covered in Egypt's gifts drew her from the chair. The warm bath that awaited her that would soon cool. All that and more drew her to undress the child in her arms… tenderly… as a young mother would her infant son. She disposed his current garments, but she didn't throw them away. They were part of his heritage and childhood that was now taken away from him by cruel and heartless bandits. She knew how important self-heritage was, and she knew someday that he would question his origins. Something she and everyone else here knew nothing about because of that she knew keeping his clothes would be his only ties to his past.

A small blush ran over her cheeks. What she saw before her was so awkward. She normally didn't do such a thing… strip a child or even wash a child. She never even washed her own daughter when Isis was first born. A midwife had been the one who had literally raised her. But technically nobody was suppose to know about this child yet, until she received Pharaoh's permission.

Lightly she ran her hand over his bare chest. A light gasp left her lips. This child's skin was flawless… not tanned at all by Ra's rays such beautiful ivory white skin. She had never seen such a thing. Could the child be… no… no of course not. That was silly… too silly. She took the young boy to the bath. Soaking him in the bath with herself. All formalities gone. A sleeping child… a male no less and herself… a certified priestess. Was this even proper? Wasn't such an act scorn by, by her fellow priests? Why hadn't she given the boy to Hafiz? Deciding now wasn't the time to think of such things, she lightly dried the young boy… dressing him in the clothes her slave had brought for her. A white linen shirt and pants… nothing fancy but not as degrading as what the male slaves wore. She placed the child in her bed… leaving the window open before finishing dressing herself. She stroked the child's head one more time before leaving the room. Hopefully nobody would enter her room before she returned.

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Nine days of counseling slowly passed, each day longer than the next. Pharaoh's counsel and the great lord himself sat in the boardroom each day discussing the fate of Egypt itself. The raiding and the burning of villages were more frequent now. It was especially traumatizing for Raja as the haunting image of the young unconscious boy's village still eluded her mind. Visions of the dying woman's pleas to save the young boy. The innocent girl burned to ashes with her mother hanging on to her only child. What had all those people said… pleaded… before being burnt alive? Now, so many others were following while she, and Pharaoh's minions stayed here in the glorious palace without fear… with everything most peasants could never have.

A vile, bitter taste submerged from the depths of her throat. She gulped it back. Lightly she traced the eye of Horus on her necklace. Once more it neglected to show her an image of the future. It had been months now since the last vision… even that vision was blurry… indecipherable. As the days dragged on without another vision, she knew the other priests were beginning to doubt her powers. She knew they talked about it in silence when they thought she wasn't nearby. She knew they would question if she was getting too old… her foresight leaving her. If it was time for her to past on the lineage to another, namely her only living bloodline now, her only child, Isis. She had after all inherited her place among the possessors of the Sennen Item after her husband's death. He had dead tragically years before when Isis was only two. He had drowned saving a life. His death even to this day still haunted her.

"I still say we set the army out to take care of this," Akunadin, an elder man around the same age as the Pharaoh stated bluntly. A golden eye protruded from his left eye socket. It flashed momentarily. His face was tanned and heavily marked wrinkles were ever present upon his ancient face.

"But Akunadin, that could scare the villagers to no end. We can't do such a thing. It'll give the villagers the wrong impression," stated Hafiz bluntly back. His gold ring flashed back at Akunadin with the same ferocity. A challenge with words and sacred powers… it was a showdown between the six priests and priestess now to fight for their point to declare to Pharaoh, which one of them was correct. Normally it ended before the game could start… sometimes… it didn't

"Hafiz's right, Akunadin. We can't send the army out with no face… no culprit. You know how bloody it could get, don't you?" asked Shimon. A golden ankh, symbolizing life, hung loosely around his neck. It too sparkled… flashed in a brilliance of golden light before dying down. A sign and code that broke the heated power the two priests were threatening to release. He was the oldest out of the whole counsel, actually he had been a member of the counsel when the former pharaoh had been ruling too. A freshly new beard showed signs of forming on his chin.

"Then what do you expect us to do? Sit here and do nothing? Don't you think the villagers will think we forgot about them if we do nothing to protect them?" smacked back Akunadin hearty. The eye flashed gold once more

"Let's take a break. It's been a long day. We'll rejoin tomorrow after tonight's festivals," a loud booming voice spoke, breaking the tension and power in the air. The counsel members immediately nodded. Their supreme had spoken. All magic and powers lay forgotten as they left the meeting room for their separate duties that had to be performed before the night's festivals. Security was high on everyone's minds as they left. Raja was the last to leave, and Pharaoh noticed it.

"Yes."

"Uh… nothing Pharaoh. I better be going," stammered Raja. She bowed lightly before turning to leave.

"Raja," Pharaoh called… stopping the young priestess in her tracks.

She turned nervously. A wave of new formed fears rose in her mind. Had Pharaoh discover the sleeping child that even now still laid in her bed? "Raja. Don't mind the other priests. The Sennen Tauk will show you a vision when the time comes. Don't fret over it," spoke Pharaoh. Raja nodded. A wave of relief shimmered through her body. She was saved. He didn't know. Not yet any ways.

"Y… yes Pharaoh. I know."

Pharaoh nodded. "You may go now. I'm sure Shimon and the others could use your help on suggestions for the decorations in the throne room."

"Yes Pharaoh." Raja spoke before hurrying out the room. The way he spoke to her so kind and gentle. Thinking about the fact that she was deceiving him hurted so. Yet, as she turned the corner that let to the flight of stairs that lead her up to the room, the feelings of guilt left her. Seeing the many slaves carry the decorations to the throne room, all other thoughts soon left her being replaced by thoughts of the festival, tonight. It was the turning of a new month and soon the young prince's birthday.

Pharaoh sighed as Raja left the room. He lightly shook his head before sinking deeper into his chair. His brow furrowed. He felt as if he had aged years in such short moments.

The light tap on the door awoke him from his thoughts. "Come in," he stated. A young boy stepped in. A crown of raven black hair and blond bangs hung loosely over his deep crimson red eyes. Adorned in a light white cloth shirt and a small purple skirt that glazed just above his knees. A small purple cape hung loosely over his shoulders. It flapped in the wind that blew in from the open window. A small golden crown with the eye of Horus engraved upon it nested snugly in his mass of black hair. "Son," Pharaoh called, a hint of surprise ever wavering into his words as he welcomed his son and heir into the room. The boy was handsome and intelligent. He was everything and more that Pharaoh could hope for as his successor some day. At least he had received one good and strong child out of the many that he had. Most died from an early age… the rest were sent away to other parts of the empire for study leaving only his one son here in the palace with him among of hundreds that he had. "Finished your lessons already."

"Yes, Father," stated the young boy. He was not yet six but spoke with a tone of authority that had practically been drilled into him since birth… since the day it was decided that he would be the next pharaoh among his siblings.

A long defying silence loomed the conference room. The young prince fidgeted… twirling his index finger around and around… a common act he did when he became embarrassed, nervous, or frightened. Pharaoh too was uneasy at such a conversation. As much as he hated it, he and his son rarely ever talk, talked. Since the day he was born, they probably never had a conversation that went over fifty words, actually they seldom ever talked to one another or saw one other. Sometimes they would go months without ever speaking or looking at each other. He always on one side of the palace while the young prince was studying, playing with the other children especially his future advisors, or doing his normal daily necessities. Such an act of actually coming and seeing him was not something that the young prince ever did. Quickly, before the deadly silence could drag on any longer, an idea crossed Pharaoh's mind. "Good… good," he spoke faintly approving his son's answer before quickly indulging in something else in case the prince decided to indulge or discuss his lesson. Schooling wasn't something Pharaoh was fond of… actually he never been all that great at it either, but he did managed to survive none the less. "Does your mother need anything?"

The young prince immediately shook his head before discovering his error. A small streak of crimson crept upon his cheeks. He blinked embarrassed at making such a childish error and the fact that he was in front of such a high spiritual presence. Someone, everyone looked up to. "Do you need anything?" Pharaoh questioned once more. The young prince shook his head once more.

Before attempting to force a string of words out of his lips. He felt as if his throat has closed up… not allowing him to speak. It took moments before the glue seemed to have dissolved before the prince spoke. "No… no Father. May I be excused?" asked the boy immediately followed by a low bow… respect, another one of those lessons that was drowned into the depth of his mind. He was like a robot sometimes. His daily actions always affected by what he was taught. Something he used to ponder about… what would he be like if he wasn't 'polished'? Would he be barbaric or sophisticated?

"Yes. Run along," Pharaoh spoke watching his son back away and before disappearing out the door much like how Raja did moments before. He heard his steps quicken once exiting the room. Whatever the young prince had tried to accomplish by paying his father a visit had obviously backfired. "That boy, what am I going to do with him?" Pharaoh sighed rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Give him some credit Akunumkanon. From what I remember, you were no different from our son when you were younger," spoke a voice. Sweet and beautiful like the mystical bells themselves. A young woman stood behind him. Her arms draped around his shoulders lightly, rubbing his shouldering… lightly smoothing out the creases and tension upon his shoulders… dissolving the ever-present knots that were entangled in his shoulders. Her face tanned… but not burnt by Ra's rays. A pair of warm sapphire eyes glowed brightly. Long brown hair hung loosely over her face cascading downwards. A small golden crown sat elegantly upon her hair… the head of a snake protruding out from the center. She was dressed in a simple white dress… gold rings fitted snugly in each of her fingers symbolizing the number of sons she had produced… ten all together… most were dead either right after birth or died later on. Gold bracelets draggled loosing around her wrist sparklingly elegantly. A lone gold necklace shined lovingly around her neck, sparkling. She was the queen. Pharaoh's most beloved and adored wife of all that he had… because of that… he had chosen his heir out of one of the sons she bore for him.

"Sultana," Pharaoh sighed cherishing his wife's gentle touches. "Why does he always act like that? Does he act like that around you? Sometimes I think our relationship couldn't be more strained. We probably have the most strained relationship out of all my children which is mighty sad considering he lives in the palace the rest don't."

The young woman sighed… her touched ceased for a moment before starting up again. She licked her lips preparing her next set of words carefully. "He's just nervous, and he has ever right to be. His father is the pharaoh, God to his people. He had ever right to be nervous… timid around you. Can't you see it in his eyes? He wants so much to please you. He wants to prove to you that he is fit to someday be Pharaoh, that you didn't make the wrong choice. He's young. He still has a lot to learn… about everything. I see it in his eyes. I hear it in his words. How he always judges his phrases carefully before speaking him out loud. He's afraid of error. He's afraid of… of failing. After all, all he knows he perfection… nothing else. Give him time Akunumkanon. Give his time. He'll come around, just like you did with your own father."

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The palace halls lit up with torches of fire. Pharaoh and his queen sat upon their thrones watching the festival down below. The priests and priestess gathered around. Some of the finest belly dancers of the whole empire gathered around. The sound of music filled the lively and vivid atmosphere. The young royal children ran around the tables of food… eating to their hearts content. A pleased look appeared on Pharaoh's lips. In the background the sound of the villagers own partying could be heard.

While upstairs, in one of the highest rooms in the palace a window was open blowing in the river air from the Nile. A young boy lay in a large bed. The sands of time blew around him rousing his peculiar hairstyle. The sheets fluttered in the wind. His right eye blinked followed by the left. The first time in a long time, a lone finger moved followed by a whole hand. The boy's eyes snapped open revealing a pair of vivid amethyst eyes. A small groan escaped from his lips as he tried to sit up. He was unsuccessful the first few times… groaning as he sat up. The sun's rays blinded him momentarily as he tried to regain his whereabouts.

The whole room scared him. How big it was. The softness of the bed he slept in. He looked down at his arms, confused at what he was wearing… all white… a gown. The boy turned watching the last of Ra as it disappeared into Osiris's domain. Bewildered he slipped out of the bed and walked over to the window. The sound of voices… cheering and yelping transcended into his ears. Glowing balls of light slowly started to appear. A low rumble in his stomach made his blush.

He stepped away from the window and walked to the door. He could barely reach the doorknob. Once the door opened he was met with a long corridor. His brow furrowed, confused at his whereabouts. He trembled confused… before sniffing back a tear. He couldn't cry not now… not now. He just had to find somebody… anybody and figure out where he was… and why he was here. He gulped before taking a step. The sound of his bare foot on the cold hard ground was all that could be heard as he made his way through the corridor… the long, lone corridor.

A flash in his line of vision startled him. A black shadow appeared then quickly disappeared. What was that? He tried to speak, open his mouth but no words left his lips… instead he decided to chase after the dark shadow. Maybe who that was could give his directions… shed some light on his whereabouts. His quickened steps were the only sound that rang in the hallway… around each bend… down another flight of stairs. By now he was completely lost… the dark shadow disappeared long ago… yet at each staircase he passed he took it. Each new corridor he made a turn. Soon the sound of people talking could be heard. Lively music could once more be heard. The rumble of his stomach reminded him of his heard. From what he knew… people usually meant food. Using his ears as a guide he walked on… now completely oblivious to everything. The music got louder as he winded his last bend. A young boy stood before a large door. Deep in thought as he fingered with the handle to the large… gold patented door. The boy gulped ducking behind a corridor. Never once had he thought about what he would do if he actually saw another human… what would be his excuse about being here. Actually he didn't even know where he exactly was. The boy gulped… yet curiosity got the better of him as he stuck his head out. He scanned the wall… a dark figure loomed in the distance… probably the same one he had been chasing moments before.

Curious the boy turned his attention to the new presence. The shadow moved… bending down for a few moments before getting up. Something now clearly visible in his hands, the boy's brow crinkled. The lone torch in this part of the corridor flashed… shinning exactly on the object in the shadow's hands. It was an arrow… pointed menacingly at the boy by the door. Two and two came together. The boy gasped. That shadow was going to murder the boy. He… he had to do something. His mind cleared… everything forgotten except for the boy who could possibly be a victim for death to ensnare if he didn't do something. The young boy wasn't acquainted with death or how it was done, yet he knew whatever the shadow figure was planing; it wasn't good. A scream escaped from the boy's lips as he ran out of his hiding place… and tackled the boy to the ground. The force of his throw knocked them both against the door… throwing them into the room that was on the other side of the golden door with the symbol of the eye of Horus upon it. An arrow glazed passed them… landing a centimeter from their heads. A large curse word could be heard before total silence invoked the atmosphere.

The throne room immediately went quiet as if suddenly everyone had become statues… frozen in place. All eyes turned to the two boys that had appeared… one on top of the other. Gasps of horror was present everywhere before one voice roared over them all silencing them all. "Get him!" As soon as the words left Pharaoh's lips, a loud buzz filled the room. The sound of the priests' footsteps followed by a couple of soldiers as they ran out the room. Their weapons clasped tightly in their hands… a look of menace ever present upon each and every one of their faces. The younger of the two boys was the first to recover from his daze. He looked up… rising his head a few inches from the other boy's shoulder, which he had hid his face into. He looked startled… confused… as he opened his eyes… to come face to face with an almost perfect double of himself. The boy under him… also opened his eyes at that same moment.

At that moment amethyst met crimson. Each not saying a word… just staring… stunned at the other. A loud painful, agonizing scream filled their ears breaking the connection followed by a blinding white light. The two blushed… startled at the small clink that had just transcended between them. Immediately they looked away.

A strong grasp lifted the two boys off the other… setting them both on their feet… yet neither spoke. The younger boy immediately looked down… embarrassed as he fingered with his hands… twisting them other and other again.

"We caught him Pharaoh. He's been punished. It was one of the slaves," a priest with a golden scale in his hands spoke. The golden pans attached to the scale wobbled momentarily before leveling… as if it had just been used. The two nearly identical boys looked up. One confused. The other relieved. Both flushed. The younger of the two watched… curious as a young woman… immediately wrapped her arms around his look alike… smoldering him with affection. Embarrassed the boy tried to pull away to avail.

The young boy watched the scene… confused. His confusion increased as the two started speaking… followed by more speaking… all foreign… incomprehensible in his ears. A gasp entered into his ears… one that was set aside from all the other noises that were present in the room. He turned… noticing that it belonged to a woman… older than the one that who was currently fondling over the boy that he had just saved. Another man spoke. The one who had first spoke when they had crashed into the throne room.

"You know this boy, Raja?" asked Pharaoh. Raja nodded… embarrassed.

"I… I found him in a village. His home had been burned down, raided. An old woman asked me to take care of him."

"How long were you planing on keeping him a secret from me?" demanded Pharaoh.

"I… I… I couldn't find an appropriate time to tell you, Pharaoh," stammered Raja.

Pharaoh shook his head lightly before speaking. Disappointment was were present in his words. "I never expected such a thing from you Raja." He paused taking a deep breath before thinking about his next set of words… weighing the way that they should be expressed before coming to a conclusion. "You… you have disappointed me… deeply. I expect you knew about this too, Hafiz?" questioned Pharaoh turning to the young man standing not far from Raja. He nodded.

"Yes, Pharaoh," he quickly added… before quickly giving a short bow that Raja soon joined him in.

He sighed… rubbing the bridge of his nose. "These are your warnings. Don't keep this kind of thing from me ever again. This goes for all of you. Next time the consequences will be much more severe. As for the boy…" He turned glazing at the foreign boy. He stared into the young boy's eyes… his haunting amethyst eyes. They blinked. A look of confusion could ever be clearly established upon them. The young boy gulped… knowing that whoever this man was… he was the highest authority here… probably the one to decide his faith.

"Akunumkanon, spare the boy. He saved your son's life," pleaded the queen. Her arms still wrapped around her son's shoulders. The boy had now completely given up pulling his mother away and was currently staring at his savior… much intrigued by their similarity in appearance.

"Please… Sultana. This isn't my choice," he spoke. His words strong… holding multiple meanings in them. Immediately Sultana understood and nodded. Intrigued at how her husband intended to go about this sort of thing. She watched…her husband's eyes land on her son. The young prince… blinked… yet made no comment. Only then did she notice that her son wasn't even paying attention on them. Instead his total focus was on the foreign boy that stood before them. Now that could get interesting.

Pharaoh coughed… clearing his throat as well as alerting the young prince that he was about to speak. "What do you say Son? Should I spare this boy?" asked Pharaoh. His voice like always held with authority and grace… fit for a king.

"Me?" the boy whispered… startled. His father never asked him about such affairs. Why the sudden change? Why the sudden disturbance from their normal ritual.

"Yes, you… my son. Someday you will be Pharaoh in my place. This is your first decision… your first step to becoming Pharaoh. What do you decide as the fate for this boy?"

The young prince gulped. His crimson eyes widening as he glanced back at the look alike. Their similarities were haunting… yet the boy looked so innocent and alone standing there… confused. Not to mention adorable and cute. _Did he just say adorable? Cute? _They were not words that he said… not words that a prince soon to be heir ever said. The young prince gasped… taking in a deep breath before speaking. He knew that everyone was waiting for his jurisdiction. His father's advisors, his parents, his own future advisors, and even his look alike… all waiting for his opinion. He gulped… fear gripped his bones. What if he said the wrong thing? What if he made a fool of himself? What would his future minions say about him… their future pharaoh? He gulped… yet as he looked into the young boy's warm… captivating eyes. He knew his answer. All doubt left him as he spoke… proud and strong. "He saved my life Father. Let him stay here in the palace… but not as a slave. As… as a pupil… an equal… even someday my last advisor of the six."

Akununkanon nodded… a small smile slowly forming, yet he decided not to give his approval. It was still to early to celebrate, besides working under doubt would expose the young prince's talents more fully. Instead he simply nodded before speaking. "Very well. We will find a place for him. Tomorrow we will judge his soul for worth. Even though he saved your worthy, a prince's life no doubt… he will be awarded honorably. But we can't let that blind us… intimate our judgment. He could very well be working for an enemy… using an innocent bystander, even an trained assassin to learn our weak points. The judging of ka will still take place tomorrow."

The prince nodded immediately understanding the mistakes he had made and would have to correct. He bowed his head…waiting his parents return to the throne. The festival started once more. The light sounds of the band playing the light-hearted music. The torches dimmed once more. The dancers started up once more. The sound of struggled laughter and forced conversations carried throughout the room before everyone soon forgot the murder attempt that a rebellious servant tried to cast on their prince and heir to the throne.

The young prince's face lined with a thin line of crimson after turning down a dance invitation from one of the royal female children, a future prospective wife for him. He turned. His blush deepened considerably as he glazed at the young boy, probably younger than him, standing in the center of the throne room. He looked so out of place and alone, yet his eyes showed signs of wonderment, confusion and awe. _Who was he? _This foreign boy captivated the young prince. He was everything and more that he wanted to be.

Shyly the prince walked up to the boy. "Murhuba," he spoke. His voice light and soft, a childish voice, something that his tutor despised.

The young boy made no comment or indication that he had heard the young prince's voice. "Murhuba," the prince spoke once more… a little louder and right by his look alike's eye.

"Eeep!" Gasped the boy startled, before jumping up a couple of inches before turning to face the prince. "Nani?" a single word escaped from the boy's lips. This time it was the older to be confused. His brow furrowed. He didn't at all understand that foreign and new tongue that this mystery boy spoke.

"Konnichiwa," said the boy… another foreign word the older didn't understand. The young looked up at his counterpart. Soon he realized that this boy didn't understand what he had said… just like how he didn't understand what he had said. Instead he did the one thing he knew anybody could understand, he extended out his hand. The older looked down at the extended hand… confused. Bewilderment filled his face as he stared at the younger boy. Slowly a shy face appeared on his face… and the older boy… etiquette lost extended his hand clasping with that of the young. The interaction was belief… but long enough to satisfy them both.

He bit his lips thinking of what else to say. Deciding that like phrases would probably do better for conversation the young prince motioned around the room. "Km-t."

"Km-t?" Yuugi repeated confused. The prince nodded before thinking of what else to say. After all it was only polite, considering he did save his life and all.

That's when he couldn't help but laugh. He hadn't even introduced himself yet. "Atemu," the prince said… pointing to himself. A foreign word even in his own lips. Nobody ever called him by his given, birth name except his mother… even then that was rare. Normally he called 'prince' or 'your majesty' something formal. That's why he didn't know why he instead decided to give his birth name… something very uncommon.

The young boy tilted his head… registering what the older had said before gasping. _His name… he must want my name… my name_. The boy strained… thinking about his own name before something finally clicked in the back of his mind. One single word left his lips… clear and true. "Yuugi."

TBC

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A/N: How was that? Okay? Bad? Indifferent? Please tell me. Oh yeah about the priests and priestess. They are the parents of the priests and priestess that we all know and love except Shimon. He isn't the dad of Shada. I was going to have Shimon be an advisor like he is to Atemu, but I decided against it especially after remembering this picture I saw of the old six priests. Shimon was one of them… only I made all the other priests and priestesses younger. I thought it was disturbing that they all looked so old, yet their children were so young… especially the relationship between Akunadin and Seto. Freaky. So I kind of de-aged them. All the names for the priests and priestess I made up except for Shimon, Akunadin, and Akununkanon. Atemu's mother's name is made up too. Now if anyone knows what their real names are, tell me, and I'll gladly change them. If not that's how their names will stand… and they all mean something too. The names were chosen either to match their personality, occupation, or other stuff that falls along those lines. I don't know if Atemu was scared of his father more like intimated by his father's rank in society. From what I perceived from the anime/manga, he wasn't, but here he is. Yes, Yuugi is younger than Atemu whose not yet six. Oops… that's all I'm saying for now. . Oh yeah one more important note. When Yuugi speaks, he'll be speaking in Japanese for the time being. At times Atemu will speak Egyptian/Arabic depending on how great my vocabulary in ancient Egyptian and Arabic. Actually I don't speak any of these languages… don't know how its going to work out. Also I will have a translation guide at the bottom of each chapter. Oh yeah. I know that usually the next pharaoh is the oldest son. Only problem is that Atemu is six. He can't possibly be his father's first born son… so I kind of changed stuff. Here I allowed Akununkanon to decide who his next heir is instead of having his eldest son be the next pharaoh… unfortunately doesn't help that his eldest son is died too. I know that it's strange that Atemu's siblings don't live at the palace, but I kind of wanted to make it seem like Atemu is the only child… even though he isn't. It'll work better this way… and so I won't have to add too many OC's.

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Translation:

Murhuba- hello

Konnichiwa- hello

Nani- what

Km-t - Egypt


	3. Chapter 2: Jichan

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A/N: Warning! In this chapter Atemu might not act like a normal five-year-old. First of all he's a prince, the future Pharaoh, and in the old days children aged faster than they do now. If they don't, they do now. Also he's been trained to act grown-up almost an adult. That's why some of the things he does in this chapter will seem a little out of character for a five-year-old to do, but in Atemu's case its perfectly reasonable.

Also, I've decided my previous idea of having everything Yuugi says be written in Japanese, and every time someone Egyptian speak to Yuugi written in Egyptian plan backfired. I've decided to ditch that idea. Reason being, one, I don't exactly know how Ancient Egyptians formed sentences as in the order of subject, verb, and object. Second, just thinking about the amount of research I need to put into it… just scares me. As for the Japanese… hmm… I'm just a beginner and I don't know enough vocabulary like for the Egyptian vocabulary the amount of research petrifies me. Third, if I do decide to stick with Japanese and Egyptian what they say might turn out really weird and unbalanced. For the sake of this fic, my sanity, and everyone's sanity… from now on most of what they say will be written in English. Side note, till stated… most everything Yuugi says is in Japanese, and everything Atemu and any Egyptian says is in Egyptian. Hopefully when I write how they can't understand each other, it won't be too confusing.

Oh, another thing, the Arabic names for the OC will stay as is. I tried finding Egyptian names for them, but there weren't that many to choose from… and they all meant or is about the same thing. Thought it meant be too confusing if I used them, so I turned to Arabic. The next closest thing… -. -;; sad I know. Lucky… I don't think there are that many OC's more like… uh… every mind. Also no OC will turn into a Mary Sue. I repeat no OC will turn into a Mary Sue… no matter what you think. That'll make sense later now though.

Also most of you probably already know by now that Yu-gi-oh! has ended as of the last week of September. :sob: The anime and manga has both ended, but that's not going to affect the way this fic plays out. One, Yuugi's not even in Japan. -.-;; So Kaiba's little Dueling Academy doesn't matter. Two, I already knew the ending of Yu-gi-oh months in advance from the manga. That was a sad day. Cried for hours. T.T Helped me get through the anime ending. T.T

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh! Duel Monsters. If I did the show and the anime probably wouldn't be over yet. :sob: T.T Can't believe its really over and Atemu truly dead. Waaa!!!!

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Chapter 2:

Ji-chan

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Atemu sighed dragging Yuugi along with him. The younger was like annoying little growth and hindrance that just couldn't be removed. The young prince's face was covered in fatigue. The night's festivals had worn him out. After discovering his young savior's name, one of his future advisors, Mahado had dragged him onto the dance floor to accompany a pretty young girl around his own age in a dance. Atemu, afraid of what his father would do if he declined another dancer that night, was obligated to dance, but not before giving Mahado a death stare. The older simply shrugged it off before leading Isis, another one of his future advisors, onto the dance floor to accompany him in a dance.

Between dances Atemu would slip side-glances around the room looking for the young boy. Each time Yuugi would be standing at the exact same spot that he had left him at early that night, and even more frightening was that each time he had the exact same facial expression on. He was like a statue frozen by time, immobilized. Nobody bothered him. Nobody talked to him, not like he would understand any ways, but still Atemu felt sorry for the boy. That was probably the reason why he was so keen on volunteering to show Yuugi to his room that he would be staying in. Besides, it was also a perfect opportunity to escape having to dance with another love stricken girl, some probably twice his age. Something that usually left him gagging long after wards, were they that desperate to find him a wife and queen? Upon leaving Atemu noticed the disappointed faces upon the females in the room. They all liked him. He knew that. Just thinking about the day when he would have to take one as his future wife and queen bugged him. All those girls, his cousins and some were his half sisters; they had grown up together, just like how he grew up with his future advisors and holders of the Sennen Items. He couldn't choice one, much less fall for any of them. Somehow it didn't seem right even though it had been occurring for hundreds of years. Even his own parents were cousins, and he was expected to uphold the tradition. As Shada, another one of future advisors, and Mahado would often-kindly suggested, maybe he just wasn't at the age of falling in love. But just earlier, he felt something. Something different, a fluffy butterfly feeling deep in the pit of his stomach, a sort of longing and even lust that even now wouldn't go away. Each time intensifying to the next level when he slipped a side-glance at Yuugi.

His hands closed tightly on to the boy's thin wrist. Each time he tried to pick up speed, Yuugi would slow him down. He never knew anybody could be so interested at the palace walls… something that he had gotten quite bored of. They all looked the same any ways except for the engraved border that ran throughout the upper rim of the walls depicting common legends that all Egyptians were expected to know since birth. The incoherent blabbing that Yuugi let off that obviously made as much sense as to Yuugi as they didn't make for him. Especially now, he found it extremely difficult to do anything with this newly appeared boy who seemed very close to his age. Yet, somehow just being with this boy, it gave him comfort even though the two couldn't really understand what the other was saying. It took a lot of signing and pictures to get their ideas across to one another especially when it came to leaving the throne room. Unfortunately, things didn't improve after Yuugi seemed to grow more and more comfortable with his surroundings and being with Atemu, that it became almost impossible to get him to concentrate much less attempt to talk with him. Guess, he like Atemu didn't take too fondly to crowds.

Once more Yuugi stopped at another door… the hieroglyphics engrave upon the door intrigued Yuugi deeply. How could hieroglyphics have that much interest for anyone was beyond Atemu? He hated the writing style… haven to learn them from his tutor every day. Once more he tugged on Yuugi's arm… pulling the boy down the hall with him. So annoying! Why did he even volunteer to take Yuugi to his room? After all they had plenty of slaves to do the job, but deep down in a part of Atemu, he knew he liked it. He liked spending time with Yuugi… and he liked that strange and fluffy sensation that filled his stomach… a feeling he didn't think he ever felt before.

One hour later or so, they finally reached his chambers. Yuugi's were next to his. He decided to let Yuugi see his room before taking him in to his room. Deciding maybe they should get acquainted with each other better before leaving him alone for the night. Besides, he wanted an excuse to go to bed late. Deciding to go about this simply Atemu said one word. "Atemu." Yuugi crocked his head confused. Atemu sighed. Somebody had to teach him to understand them… whatever language if it even was a language that he used had to go. _Why don't you teach him?_ A nagging voice in the back of his mind stated. Atemu growled.

"Nani?" Yuugi whispered looking up at Atemu with his big innocent eyes. Atemu melted. Another feeling he never felt before… every action or comment that he made towards Yuugi were all new to him. Some of his words, his actions he never even knew he had inside of him. Not only that but Yuugi brought out another side to him… a side he even knew he had. He wanted to protect him. He wanted to act like a big brother. Stand out… be assertive… something he rarely or nearly never did. Something that he knew he needed the day he became Pharaoh. It was as if Yuugi was making him age even more quickly… earning adult feelings instead of his normal childish ones. It was as if a part of him wanted to protect this boy for some unknown reason. Each time he saw Yuugi, a feeling of familiarity seemed to have run through his mind as if once, long ago they had met before. Atemu shook his head, pointing to the door before pointing at himself. "Atemu." Then turning he pointed to Yuugi's door across from his. Then he pointed at Yuugi, "Yuugi," he stated.

"Hai!" Yuugi shouted… happily clapping his hands. Atemu chuckled before pulling Yuugi inside his bedroom. His chuckle widened to fits of laughter as he watched Yuugi's expression change to complete awe. The boy was stunned. The room was beautiful… done in complete gold. A small table at one end. Papyrus littered the table… and writing utensils, his still waiting to be completed homework. In the other end was a gold canopy bed. White freshly changed linens covered the bed. The bed was so big… twenty people could probably sleep on it and not feel crushed by each other's bodies.

Yet one thing out of the whole room caught Yuugi's eyes, a wooden board with 25 squares etched into the wood. Pieces littered the wood and around it. Atemu watched intrigued as Yuugi walked up to his bed and plotted himself down before the unfinished game that he had been playing just hours ago. "Wow," muttered Yuugi. His eyes lighting up as he picked up on the gold pieces on the board before Atemu could stop him. A small groan left Atemu's lips as he watched Yuugi destroy the long, intense game. _Seto's going to freak tomorrow. _Yet Yuugi's innocent infatuation with the game amused him greatly. The way his eyes shown as he ran his hands over each individual piece and the engraving upon the wood. "Nani?" asked Yuugi innocently pointing to the board game.

'Nani' a common sound that seemed to come out frequently from the young boy's lips whatever it was it obviously meant something to the boy. Whatever that something was he didn't have a clue. Whatever it meant Atemu decided take to wild guess. The way the boy used the word over and over again when he was confused gave Atemu the impression that it had to mean some sort of a question word… possibly 'what'. "Seega," Atemu said pointing to the board.

"Seega?" Yuugi repeated the word. It came out foreign in the boy's lips. The way he said it… it wasn't like the way Atemu was used to hearing it being pronounced.

"Seega." the young prince nodded, receiving a pleasant little grin from Yuugi.

"Seega. How do you play?" The young look alike questioned. His bright amethyst eyes sparkled as he looked up at his older and wiser counterpart. The young prince confused at the young boy's question could only blush and shrug his shoulders.

"Game," Yuugi asked only more.

"Game?" Atemu whispered… sounding out the foreign word that left Yuugi's lips. The young boy twirled one of the Seega pieces in his hand… tracing over the pretty design that was engraved upon the piece. Atemu watched his younger counterpart. His feet hanging limply over the side of his bed. His blond bangs hung limply over his eyes. He watched the boy tentatively. Thoughts of tomorrow's judging ran through Atemu's mind. What kind of ka did his boy hold in his mind? Was it strong? Was it evil? Was it pure? Would his father and the priests accept the ka that is within Yuugi's mind?

"How do you play?" The boy said once more. This time shoveling the piece in front of Atemu's face. The older boy lightly pushed the piece away before touching another piece, this one different in color, darker, the other set. He looked at the piece that his hand touched and the one in Yuugi's hand. _Could it be that he wants to play?_ Atemu smiled slyly. Could this foreign boy possibly be a good gamiest or a potentially good gamiest in a game he had never seen before? Games, that was one thing that Atemu loved… games. He never turned down a match. He nearly never lost at a game of Seega, Snake, Senet, jacks, or any other game that he was challenged to. That was Atemu's talent… gaming. He was a child prodigy at gaming. Even though he wasn't even six yet, he could come up with brilliant strategies that people three, four times his age could never think of. Because of that, he was a valuable asset as the advisors and priests declared many times, he would make a brilliant pharaoh possibly even surpassing his father and ancestors in greatness. Because of such high expectations, Atemu was forced to age faster. Him and his already nearly fully appointed priests and priestess that would someday rule with him.

His fingers slipped pass the piece landing on another. The piece, clasped between two fingers and a thumb, slipped gently into place on the board. Atemu watched intrigued at what Yuugi would do. The younger of the two watched his counterpart move and giggled. His eyes blinked… confused before a small smile formed on his lips. A sly smile appeared on his face as he placed one of his chips on the board… far from Atemu's piece. Atemu blinked. An unusual move but legal none the less and that confused him… only briefly before he too set a piece on the board, mirroring Yuugi's move. Perfect way to draw out Yuugi's strategy before he pounced down for the kill. Yuugi giggled before slipping another chip on the board. Atemu followed in suit. His piece once again mirroring Yuugi's.

Piece by piece twenty-four of the twenty-five spaces were filled. Finally it was time for the game to begin… Atemu's favorite part. This would be his judging of Yuugi's worth. Was he a valid and potential gamiest? Or was he like all the others… with no talent… except for Seto. Seto just wouldn't quit. For as long as Atemu could remember he and Seto had been rivals at gaming. They both wanted to be the best. Their tutor had even said that it was grand idea… challenging each other in doing better. Playing games required brains… the more games they played the more they would have to use their brains. It all tied in… ultimately making them both smarter and becoming better and wiser beings as they aged. It especially helped since they both loved playing games… games that sometimes lasted days and weeks. They had even invented their own game, a role playing game. They had gotten a carpenter to make the pieces and board game for them… a board that increased in dimensions as least once a month to bimonthly tops. A game that never ended and could be played by multiple people… something that all could take part in.

Ten minutes later… a majority of both Yuugi and Atemu's pieces lay on the bed surrounding them. The quickest game Atemu had ever play but definitely not an easy match. Yuugi was a strong player who caught on quickly after loosing two pieces. He immediately understood the basics of the game and quickly caught up with Atemu… throwing each of his plays back at him. A small groan left Yuugi's lips. It was his turn. Only two pieces left of each… he had to make this move count. His eyes buried… his amethyst eyes intensified. Atemu watched intrigued… his judgment long cast. There was no doubt about it. Yuugi was a talented gamiest… either that or he was extremely lucky. Yet, since he didn't believe in luck all that much, it came down to simply that he was a great gamiest… possibly even more of a challenge then Seto. Atemu grinned. He couldn't wait till after the judgment tomorrow when he could introduce Yuugi more formally to his future priests and priestess.

Yuugi's hands trembled before moving a chip diagonally. Atemu grinned. He was retreating… prefect. Time for the kill… without giving it much thought he moved his piece right… each to Yuugi's. His piece was boxed in… ready to be sprang on. Now it was time for Yuugi to rejoice. Just the move he was hoping for. A quick play followed by Atemu's play. One piece each… a tie… Atemu gasped. He never tied before… especially with an amateur. Yuugi grinned… giggling. He clapped his hands together. _That was fun!_ He immediately extended his hand. Atemu cocked his head… not comprehending. He was doing it… extending his hand. Yuugi bit his lips confused. _Why wasn't Atemu shaking his hand?_ He eyed the prince strangely before deciding that wasn't fun. They had tied after all. No hard feelings right? So why wasn't Atemu shaking his hand… a truce… an honorable act between too contestants. He cocked his head before grabbing Atemu's hand. The prince looked, startled looked down at the warmth that now radiated from the palm of his hand. Before remembering the game, a tie… he never tied, and that made him unhappy and confused. Confused, he hated being confused… cause that was a weakness… something that he wasn't supposed to show. Yet, he couldn't help it, he was completely baffled by their last play, and he didn't like being confused especially not in gaming. He was good at gaming, yet Yuugi… coming from no where managed to totally cream him… something he wasn't too keen on. Yet, as he looked up once more and saw the gleam in Yuugi's eyes… his competitive nature immediately left him, and he too smiled… something he never done before.

That caused Yuugi to smile too and giggle. "You look pretty when you smile." An innocent comment causing Atemu's bow to furrow once more. _What had he said?_ The unknown made his uneasy. It always made him feel uneasy. He hated being left in the dark even more than dancing with girls and talking with his father. _I have to teach him to talk like us. I just have too._

333333333333333333333

Ra's rays burned through the land…reflecting off of the royal palace. A boy stirred, as the beams of light hit his face. Another's breathing startled him. Immediately his brain began to conjure up the worst of worst scenarios. He was never one to be good in bed. All girls that had ever shared a bed with him told him so, complaining to the royal guards. They would always scold him for it, yet deep down he knew they feared for the empire. What if no heir was produced? What would happen to the mighty empire? Yet, he couldn't remember anyone coming in during the night… actually he couldn't even remember when he even fell asleep the night before.

The raspy breathing continued as the young prince opened his eyes. To his surprised, it wasn't a girl only Yuugi. His beautiful innocent face curled up in a ball leaning up against his body for warmth. The land could get mighty cold at night even though summer was not far off. His arms were wrapped around his waist. There were so close that the young prince could easily smell the flowery scent that enclosed the boy. How could he have missed it yesterday?

A streak of red formed over his face as he looked down at the farther end of his bed. Games littered the end… now he remembered. They had stayed up late last night playing games… he had taught Yuugi many games… taught him his language. Even formed a compromise language, so they could communicate with the other. A small grin appeared on Atemu's face. He finally found a friend after so long. A friend that didn't mind he was a prince… actually Atemu wasn't sure if Yuugi even knew he was a prince. Somehow he wasn't too sure if Yuugi even knew where he was.

He remembered how… they both fell a sleep after a game of Senet. Both forgetting that Yuugi's room was across the hall. Obviously his mother hadn't come in last night… much less any of the slaves. He wondered if he was missed… wondered if they wondered why he was gone for so long… or maybe they didn't noticed. Nobody ever really noticed him any ways at festivals… beside his cousins and sisters… they noticed him only if they wanted to dance. Besides that he was left alone, he knew that his future advisors knew better than talk to him during the festivals. He never liked festivals that much mainly cause he had to dance… something he hated doing. Only Mahado and Seto talked to him… sometimes…especially Seto who would tease him when he messed up on a dance step, or when Mahado tried to set him up with some girl.

A light knock sounded upon the door removing the young prince from his thoughts. "Who is it?" he called softly but loud enough, so the person on the other side of the door could hear.

"Seto… you dunce. You aren't still sleeping are you? Queen and Pharaoh are getting impatient. The judging of that boy starts in less than half an hour. You know where he is?"

Atemu groaned scolding at the gods for not waking him early. "No, I'm not sleeping… Seto," Atemu hissed annoyed at the older boy. "Tell them I'll be there soon. And I know where Yuugi is," Atemu hissed… emphasizing Yuugi's name maybe a little too much.

"Lookie, lookie who got out of the wrong side of the bed today… Prince," Seto said… a tone of teasing ever present as he emphasized the word prince more than needed. "Oh, and Prince. The slaves are fixing your breakfast already. Better dress yourself… that is if you can." A ring of light hearted chuckled left Seto's lips.

"Seto… shut up," hissed Atemu overly annoyed as he heard the final chuckles from the priest-in-training as he left the corridor to his room. He knew Seto meant no harm… a simple combat of teasing and words before the start of the day. Something they both needed to keep from going insane. They own little game that allowed them to be average children for at least a little while… something none of the adults knew about. At least the ones that did pretended not to notice. They would always turn their back… become inattentive to it. Atemu sighed… turning to find that Yuugi still wasn't awake. _Gods could he sleep!_

Atemu glazed over at the younger boy. It was a pity to have to awake him… he looked so… cute… Cute! Atemu blenched at such a word. When had he even thought something was cute? Never! Only his petty sisters and cousins ever thought things were cute… normally himself. At least they would be leaving soon… go back to wherever they came from till the next festival… his birthday. The younger boy whimpered… before opening his eyes… obviously from being rudely awakened by Atemu and Seto's conversation.

The boy blinked… at first confused where he was before remembering. He was with Atemu. The boy giggled. "Ohayo."

Atemu cocked his head confused causing more laughter from Yuugi. Atemu sighed… annoyed another day of signing and half conversations. "Yuugi, get up. We're late," Atemu snapped. He probably already wasted five minutes. His parents probably already deeply annoyed at both of them. Yuugi giggled once more… a small yawn left his lips before popping himself up. A small blush appeared on his face once he discovered where his hands were located. He immediately pulled them back allowing Atemu to get out of bed. The younger of the two still dazed as he watched the young prince walk to a large gold crested cabinet at the far end of the room. A small frown appeared on Atemu's face at he was meet by a brunch of clothes.

His brow raised higher… confused. He had never dressed himself… much less chose what he wanted to wear. That was his servants' job. He slipped aside glance to the small bell resting peacefully on his desk. Temptation… he was very tempted to ring the bell and call one of his servants here. Yet time was of great essence at this moment, he didn't have time to call one of his servants… besides he wasn't sure where any of them were at this moment. They were always very hard to find after a festival. His father always let the servants celebrate too… which normally meant that they were most likely get drunk during the course of the night. _Disgusting!_

A small giggled escaped Yuugi's lips causing Atemu to turn around and give the younger boy a death stare. Yuugi immediately stopped giggling. A small pout appeared in its place as he slipped out of the bed and walked up to Atemu. "What are you doing?" Yuugi asked innocently pointing to the clothes inside. A confused look appeared on his face. Atemu watched Yuugi's facial expression immediately understanding.

"Attempting to get dress." The young prince replied motioning at his body and the clothes that hung in the closet.

"Oh," said Yuugi… even more confused. He slipped a glance at Atemu and seeing the boy looking at the clothes; he decided to mimic the older boy. _Must be another one of his traditions._ The two stood there for the longest time… both staring at the wardrobe hanging in the closet. A small yawn escaped Yuugi's lips once more. _Boring! Why can't he just pick something? He's worse than a girl when it comes to dressing!_

Off and on Atemu would slip glances to Yuugi… curious at why his younger look-alike was copying his every movement. _Just great! We're both confused. Why didn't I just ring the bell earlier or something! Father and Mother are going to kill us both now. _He sighed walking to the bell on his desk. Yuugi watched confused as he rung it. A loud, high-pitched chime escaped the bell causing the younger boy to cringe. Who would have thought such a small bell could produce such a loud ear shattering sound?

Moments later the door to the bedroom swung one. Four young slave girls appeared each down on their knees. Yuugi watched curious as the young prince… obviously giving them some form of instruction obviously involving the clothes in the wardrobe. A small sweat drop appeared on Yuugi's forehead as he watched the girls take out two sets of clothes… one obviously for him.

A small 'o' formed around his lips… stunned and embarrassed as two of the girls startled stripping Atemu. A small blush formed under his eyes immediately looking away only to be greeted by an unhappy realization. The other two slave girls had surrounded him. One holding the clothes as the other advanced on him attempting to take hold of the white, cloth gown that covered his body. Yuugi immediately twitched, backing away… pulling the gown with him. A disturbed and offended look appeared on the slave girl's face as Yuugi back up… her hands still on the gown. "Ilie! Ilie! Ilie! Stop! Stop! Stop!" Yuugi shouted frantically trying to keep the gown on him. No way was he going to allow a bunch of strange girls probably twice or three times his age strip him of his clothes. If Atemu was okay with that sort of thing, let him have his ways, but he definitely wasn't going to be stripped. No way! He could dress himself… he didn't need strange girls to do it for him. If that was what Atemu was waiting for… them either Atemu was just overly lazy or overly dependent on other people. Or just plain sick!

"Yuugi. Stop. Let them dress you," Atemu commanded. Not till seconds before had he realized what the noise was about. Yuugi was attempting to escape the grasp of the young slave girl. Atemu knew who the girl was… one of those stubborn and loyal followers who knew her job and would never back out of it. Yuugi looked up horrified at Atemu's words… his tone of voice gave it away completely. Half of the gown was already off while the other half Yuugi was attempting to hold down.

Minutes later the young prince was fully clothed. A white sleeveless shirt adorned his chest. A gold belt kept his cloth that wound around his lower portion of his body covered. A golden snake buckle attached to the center. A red cap was wrapped around his shoulders. Gold jewelry adorned a major portion of his body. Gold arm bands, bracelets, and rings covered the length of his arm. Gold leg braces clung to his ankle up to his kneecap. A glorious and highly detailed necklace hung around his neck. A gold crown, his sign of royalty, was nested in his mass of hair. Gold ear rings covered majority of his ears… flesh could barely be seen. A pair of wooden sandals adorned his feet that were wrapped in a thin layer of cloth bonding them. He motioned for his slaves to help the other two as he popped himself down on his bed. The breakfast they brought for him sat on the stand. A piece of fruit in one hand, and a loft of bread in the other as he watched the amusing scene before them. All four slave girls were now on top of the struggling the boy. His hands still firming clasped on his gown.

Atemu wasn't sure how it happened… or who lost interest first before the other sprang from the kill. The next thing he knew Yuugi was finally fully clothed in one of his old set of clothing… a mini version of his own only without the snake head on the belt, the crown and no jewelry. An unpleasant look was evident on Yuugi's face as the servants left him alone. Atemu tossed the boy a piece of bread and fruit while the servants took the rest away. From the position that Ra was in right now… obviously more than thirty minutes had passed. He grabbed Yuugi's arm and dragged him out of the room… causing the younger boy to trip over his sandals… knocking them both down.

Atemu groaned as he hit the floor. A small gasp escaped from the slaves as they dropped the dishes immediately running to their master. After a lot of struggling and mishaps somehow both boys managed to arrive in the throne room… looking flushed. Atemu immediately dropped into a low bow not before pulling Yuugi with him.

"What took you so long, Son," Pharaoh commanded… annoyance ever present. He was just about to call some of his guards to go check on the prince.

"Please forgive me Father. I won't happen again." Atemu stated quickly… flushed.

"No, it won't. Cause if it does… well… let's not go there. Just remember, you're bed might not be as warm anymore." Atemu gulped remembering at his punishment when he couldn't perfectly recite the laws to his tutor especially after breaking one. It ended with him spending a week in the north tower… the coldest place in the upper half of the palace… matching almost that of the dungeon where despicable creatures are known to roam.

"We will talk later about your behavior, Son," the queen spoke. Her voice not as harsh as Pharaoh's yet full of disappointment… worse in Atemu's opinion. That was his mother's way of punishing him… making his suffer though guilt… most times worst than most punishments.

"Akunadin, Hafiz, Raja, Faysal, Majid, and Simon, prepare for judgment," commanded Pharaoh. A small rustle around the pharaoh broke through the air as six priests and priestess stood up from their kneeling down phrase. A large stone tablet was pulled into the throne room by eight slaves… in case the one being judged's ka turned out potentially dangerous. They were be condemned at the judging no matter what crime they were being charged of. Yuugi gulped as he saw Atemu nod. A signal that told him it was okay to stand up. He felt his legs trembling once more… he kind of already knew what they were about to do. Atemu had attempted to explain it to him yesterday. Most he didn't understand. All he figured out was it was some type of judging of purity or something. Everything about ka and beyond went beyond anything he had ever known or heard about.

Atemu watched Yuugi twitch in his position. The young man had backed down to stand next to his mother. Her arm rested against his. Upon her face, was clearly the expression of 'don't make a sound'… a message that applied for him and the other youth currently in the room. Pharaoh watched… backing back to his throne watching the judgment process. First Akunadin stepped forward. With one swift movement he parted his raven black hair revealing a golden eye situated in his left. Atemu grimaced… he was never too fond of the eye… how it required that the holder permanently lose his own eye to use the item. He much preferred the other five items… how the bearer only had to wear it around his or her necks or carry it around like the scale and rod.

Yuugi squeaked… paralyzed by fear and by the mystical energies that radiated from the eye itself throwing them both almost into another dimension. Air seemed stilled here… weak… temperamental. Yuugi gulped… shades of purple flashed through the atmosphere… followed by a scream… a familiar scream. An image flashed through his mind. An old man with purple eyes… charming and nice… wearing overalls and a bandanna over his head. "Ji-chan," Yuugi whispered before falling… the image disappeared from his mind like last night's frost. A cold object touched his forehead… he felt his mind burn with angst as he fell… plummeting into darkness.

------TBC-------

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A/N: Much shorter than the last two chapters, which were over twenty pages each. I thought I was entitled in letting his chapter be a little shorter… like only about ten pages. I've decided that's going to be around my limit per chapter… around ten pages. So how was this chapter? Did it manage to shed any light upon the story yet? Oh! Seega and Senet are real games that Ancient Egyptians played. If you want more information on these two games, you can search for them on any search engine. Till next time. Please review!!! Your opinions to constricted criticism all work for me only because it helps me write better chapters. I take all reviews and suggestions into consideration and try to fix this fic as best as I can. So please review. I like most authors like hearing how their readers feel about their work. .


	4. Chapter 3: Want to Play Senet?

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A/N: Wow! I seriously have no comment about this chapter. Oh, besides that once more I will remind you all that this is a shonen-ai fic… meaning boy/boy. I'm just reminding you that this because this chapter has a lot of cute, fluff interaction scenes between two of our favorite bishonen. Oh yes, I also want to thank all my reviewers for reading and reviewing my fic and all my readers who don't review.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-gi-oh!

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Chapter 3:

Want to Play Senet?

Yuugi's POV

Voices… so many voices… all distant… out there… so different… what are they saying? Why? Why can't I understand?

Where am I? Who am I?

"Yuugi! Yuugi!"

That voice… Yuugi? I'm Yuugi aren't I? If I'm Yuugi, then who is Yuugi? Just a name… a name with no background.

"Yuugi! Yuugi!"

It's him… Atemu. My look-alike…

"Yuugi! Yuugi!" What did you say? Why can't I understand? Why? My face fills so damp yet burns so.

Crimson! That's all I see… pair of crimson eyes. A warm, smoothing touch… a smile… Atemu… he looks so pretty when he smiles.

Normal POV

"Mana! Quick, get Mother. He's waking up!" Atemu called to the young brunette sitting next to him, Mahado's young apprentice in the dark arts. The young girl looked up startled… awaking from her slumber. Her young master had ordered her to stay with the prince after Yuugi fainted during the judging ceremony. The young girl groaned… rubbing her eyes.

"What? What did you want? Prince?" Mana asked innocently. Her light brown eyes radiated innocence.

Atemu groaned. She was lazier than he was at fulfilling orders. Luckily for her Mahado never 'punished' her like his tutors would him if he disobeyed or neglected to learn one of his lessons. It especially didn't help since half the guards and the guards' children at the palace weren't all that fond of him in the first place. They loved telling on their little prince… telling his tutor and his mother how bad he was. It usually resulted in the 'Egypt will fail' speech that he always received. Why couldn't they be more original? "Get Mother and a priest! Yuugi's waking up!"

"Oh!" Mana's eyes widened as she leaped up from the floor and ran out the room. A small sweat drop formed on Atemu's face before quickly turned back to look at Yuugi.

"Hey! You finally woke up?" Atemu asked… signing as he spoke. A teasing tone in his voice…the younger of the two simply nodded. "How did you do that? Faint like that? You should have seen Shimon's expression after he touched the xA rnpt Ankh to your forehead, and you fainted. Everyone thought he was going to have a heart attack."

Yuugi shrugged… a small weak laughter escaped his lips. "Not mad?"

"Mad! Doubt it. I think stunned is more like it. I don't think anyone has ever fainted before in a judging ceremony. Think stunned describes it better."

"Son, that's enough. Don't provoke him to do it again. We still have to do that ceremony." A voice sounded into the room. Atemu immediately looked down… embarrassed.

"Sorry Mother," the young prince whispered… his face turning red as he spoke.

"Wait by the door with Mana. Raja and I will take over."

"Yes, Mother," the young prince spoke… immediately going rigged. Yuugi watched intrigued at his counter part's sudden change in character, one moment from a free out-going orator to a shy disciplined boy. Yuugi wasn't sure he liked Atemu like that. He was too fickle.

* * *

Atemu let out an annoyed sighed as he leaned against the window. Ra was high up in the sky now… almost starting to decline. A small giggle escaped Mana lips causing Atemu to turn around. "What you laughing at?"

"You."

"Me?" asked Atemu… confusion ever present upon his face.

"Uh huh. You're one day off from studies, and you aren't playing games with Seto. Isis was right. You're in love!" Mana giggled again… stressing the word love more than needed.

"Waa!" Atemu looked up horrified… as crimson red widening into the size of plates. "In love? With who? That's gross, girls think of the strangest things."

Mana giggled again… twirling a piece of her brown, chocolate colored strand of hair around her index finger. "Don't pay dumb, Prince. Of course with that boy in there, he's really cute. I can see why you like him."

"Mana!" A young girl's woman broke in before Atemu could counteract.

"Isis," both young children cried out at once.

"Why you ruining my image, Isis? The guards at the palace already despise me. My tutor thinks I'm lazy."

"You are lazy Prince," Isis scolded. "And you know that too. That's probably why most people don't like you. The stuff you do without studying… compares to what most of us accomplish after we have spent hours studying."

"Aww… Isis," Atemu cried… pouting. "I don't want to hear your lecture right now. Especially after people that I like Yuugi. Is it one of those 'visions' you saw."

"My visions are too real. Besides…you don't like him?" Isis questioned… her brown eyes twinkled… knowing she forced Atemu into a tight spot.

"Aww… Isis. I hate you," Atemu grumbled immediately turning back around… suddenly finding the sky really interesting. A dash of red blush transgressed across his face as a light giggle eloped from both young girls' lips.

* * *

A small sigh escaped from the crimson-eyed boy. A thin cloth cape was all that he had around his body. The light, warm Egyptian breeze blew through the vast desert. The twinkle of lights from the village down below as a day of buying and selling was finally over. He grumbled once more. It had been a slow day… especially after Yuugi had been put to sleep, and he had been looking forward to start teaching his counterpart some Egyptian too.

"Konbonwa." A small voice whispered… breaking the silence… startling the young prince. Atemu immediately turned around… his upper body leaning against the gold railing. His tanned dark colored skin caste into a dark shadow of illusion.

"'Evening," Atemu whispered. He raised one of his hands and pushed back a piece of his blond bangs that hung limply. The younger boy immediately blushed… looking away from the older.

"I just want to say… say… oyasumi." Yuugi muttered. His face reddening even more as he slipped glances off and on at Atemu's bare chest.

Atemu chuckled… amused at Yuugi's expression as the younger fiddled with his thumbs… rubbing them together. His face heated up even more before glancing up. "Atemu. Onegai!! Kami!! Put some clothes on." Yuugi shouted… a tumble of half Japanese and half Egyptian left his lips. Both boys stood in awe. Half at the fact they understood what the other had said. Yuugi gasped horrified. _How! _His face flared up into bright redness before running out the room leaving a young prince in fits of laughter.

"Night!" Atemu called… through his laughter. Teasing Yuugi was even more fun than his daily spar with Seto.

"Prince. You okay?' A petrified young slave girl whispered haven walked in just as Yuugi ran out of the room.

The young prince looked up… tears still rolling from his eyes. "Yes. Yes. I'm all right." The prince stated before pulling himself up. He leaned against the railing for support before clearing his throat… an impulse he had unexpectedly learned from his father. The young slave girl nodded… a little unsure before dropping into a low bow. A set of clothing was sat perfectly at balance on her left arm. The young prince approached the girl as she extended out the set of clothing for her master to inspect.

"Very well," he spoke… his words strong and powerful. He loved it when he could speak like that. It showed power… not weakness. A pharaoh should never be weak.

* * *

"Yuugi." The young prince sighed… as he walked into the younger's bedroom. A handful of papyrus bond books cluttered in his hands. A long quill pen in the other as he stalked into the room. "Yuugi!" He turned his deep crimson shade of eyes around and around… scanning the younger's room. Not much had changed since the fateful day that Yuugi appeared before them all. The room like before was still only situated with a large canopy bed, a small table, a straw bond rug, a candle stick freshly brunt, and a small cabinet full of clothes. The younger was no where in sight.

After two more judging ceremonies… each with Yuugi passing out when Shimon touched the xA rnpt Ankh to his forehead. It was decided that Yuugi was harmless. His ka wasn't fully born yet… a weak… unborn ka meant a harmless a ba. Or… like Atemu's own ka… it was in repose. It was not yet awaken… bidding its time. That usually meant that when awaken it would became extraordinary powerful. Because of that and the fact that it was assumed that the boy's parents and relatives were all died and gone. It was decided by Pharaoh and his circle of counsels that the boy would live in the palace for the rest of his life… and quite possibly someday become the last of the six priests to Atemu. Which in turn meant Yuugi would inherit the last of the xA rnpt items… items that protected Egypt from evil. Thus, Atemu was given the duty of teaching the younger the Egyptian language and help him catch up on his lessons. A new form of 'torture' his tutor had come up with. Only it basically backfired, by bringing the two boys closer together over the period of three months.

Amused, Atemu placed the books upon the book… only to find another lying upon it. A scroll of papyrus paper, curious the young prince picked the scroll up and walked over to the bed. He popped himself down upon the bed… slowly unwinding the paper.

There… beautiful lines of poetry was written upon the paper… all in flowing ancient Egyptian. At the very end was a hurriedly scribbled drawing. A small smile appeared upon Atemu's lips… his stomach fluttered. "Atemu! Ah ha! I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!" Yuugi shouted… in a sing song type of voice. The young prince immediately looked up… seeing the over hyper boy bound into the room.

"What did you eat?"

"Dessert!" Yuugi shouted running up to his bed before jumping in. A wave of giggles exploded from his lips as he rolled over… his amethyst eyes blinking on and off. The young prince immediately backed up… a string of sweat drops ran clear upon his forehead.

"You always like this?"

"Only when I eat dessert!" Yuugi giggled grabbing Atemu's wrist… before the young prince could escape. "Teach?"

"You too crazy… and scary!"

"So? Teach! You promise."

"You're Egyptian is good enough. I could easily tell Father to put you into classes with me." Atemu countered.

"That no fun!" Yuugi pouted… grumbling as he pulled himself up.

"I'm not suppose to have fun."

"You too serious." Yuugi pouted. "I like our lessons through. They funny!" The young prince couldn't help but blush as the younger leaned his forehead against the older. Immediately wrapping his arms around the young prince.

"Let's play game then."

"What kind of game?"

"Senet."

"Senet?"

"Hai!" Yuugi shouted… a string of blabber escaping from his lips. "I win! I get to kiss you."

"What?" Atemu shouted horrified. Yuugi giggled at Atemu's facial expression.

"You funny. I just said that to see how you would act."

The young prince looked down… pretending to act hurt. "So… so… you don't want to kiss me?"

"You want me to kiss you? Isis told me. You kiss people you like. And… and I like you. So… 'k. I'll kiss you." Yuugi giggled before climbing upon the young prince's legs. A low moan escaped the boy's lips as Yuugi leaned forward. He blinked once and twice before dipping into the kiss. A wet… sloppy kiss resulted in the exchange… causing Yuugi to come up disgusted. "Kissing no fun." He pouted.

A burning red young prince immediately grabbed the first book he had set on the table. He cleared his throat before speaking. "What is the first step to casting this spell?"

"Huh?"

* * *

Ra was already high in sky. Atemu sighed… drumming the side of his eagle-feathered pen on the side of his desk. A long scroll of papyrus paper laid in front of him. He shifted his glaze at his future advisors who were sitting around him. Egyptian history and language… it was one of the few lessons in the day that he had with them. Yet, a new face was also in the room… Yuugi. Just a couple of months ago… it was decided that Yuugi no longer needed Atemu's tutoring. It was discovered that the two actually did more playing then studying… something nobody in the palace could stand… thus Yuugi was placed into normal tutoring with everyone else.

"Prince!" An annoyed tutor called out… awakening Atemu for his daydream. _Beautiful sky… warm sand… swim in the Nile._

"Wa! Yes." Atemu stammered raising from his seat. A roll of laughter left Seto's lips as he watched his younger's antics. Atemu immediately blushed seven shades of red before sitting down.

"Why can't Seto or even Yuugi be the next pharaoh," the tutor grumbled stepping back… a wooden stick in one hand… a long roll of parchment in the other.

"Seto, can you answer this question."

"Five hundred, teacher," Seto boasted.

"Very nice. At least somebody's been listening." Seto smirked before turning to face Atemu… a proud, boasting look on his face. The young prince immediately looked away in the opposite direction. There, Yuugi's glaze met him. The boy's amethyst eyes showed sympathetically… a little embarrassed as if it was his fault that Atemu couldn't answer the question.

"Gom…. I mean… sorry." Yuugi mouthed. Atemu simply nodded… an action that surprised him. He normally didn't take to sympathy but when it came to Yuugi. It just felt different. Yuugi's Egyptian had improved dramatically over the last couple of months…eleven to be exact from the day the younger saved his life. A full year was about to pass since that fateful day. Even though off and on bits and pieces of the younger's original language still came out of his lips… he usually would hurriedly cover it up. Once, Atemu had questioned Yuugi about what language the boy spoke. Yuugi ended up blushing and becoming profoundly embarrassed… admitting that he had no idea. He actually went as far as admitting he didn't even know who his parents were or where he came from. When Raja told them where she found the boy, the town's location didn't seem to a bell at all for the youth.

Yuugi blushed once more before turning around. Atemu glazed at the younger for the longest time before turning back to the endless lectures that their tutor just loved to bore him with. Why did he care how many wars Egypt had gone into since the union of upper and lower Egypt? He too had already decided that he would be a friendly yet strong ruler much like his father. He was going to help the common people… not take their rights always. He wasn't going to go to war. Unfortunately, when his strategy tutor got word of his decision, it resulted in a countless long lesson on how it was and is physically impossible.

It resulted in the prince following Mana the next day in hiding in pots with her. The young mage-in-training was very prone to hide from her lessons and cause problems for Mahado… their dark arts tutor. Mahado was a genius at dark arts, and it was very beneficial considering his own ka was that of the magician class.

Atemu grumbled… once more before turning back to glaze out the window. _Sky skies, warm sand, happy birds. _He so wanted to out there or even playing in the desert instead… here he was wasting another beautiful day being engrossed in Egyptian History… one of the most boring topics in the world. But for Yuugi… he found it amazing.

__

"Atemu."

"Huh?" The older asked… turning around. A long scroll of papyrus paper in one hand… a iron sword in the other. His defense class had just ended moments early leaving him nauseated and exhausted. His bangs hung damply over his forehead… his bare chest exposed to the few gusts of coolness blown in from the gardens. There was Yuugi… seated on a bench next to the door. His legs hung down below him… swinging back and forth. A grin was clearly etched upon his face.

"Yuugi." Atemu declared.

Yuugi blushed slightly before jumping off of the bench and bounded for Atemu. He glazed curiously at the prince's sword… in awe at the delicate details that was etched upon the bland. "Pretty."

"Yep! I know! Hafiz made it for me. It was my birthday present. It's suppose to be blessed by the gods themselves."

"Cool!" Yuugi gasped. "Can I touch it?"

"Hmm… maybe."

"Aww… Atemu. You mean."

"I know."

Yuugi immediately pouted causing Atemu to break into a fit of laughter. "You always know how to make my day better, Yuugi."

"Had a bad day?" Yuugi inquired.

"I guess. I guess I'm just annoyed at all those annoying lessons I have to go through everyday. Especially history… it's so boring," Atemu whined. Yuugi giggled as he skipped along the hallway by Atemu's side. The two walked through the palace doors and out into the gardens. There a beautiful gold fountain etched with the artisan's depiction of the gods themselves. Beautiful trees and desert plants bloomed throughout the garden. Yuugi immediately popped down upon the fountain pulling Atemu down with him. The young prince sighed… dropping the parchment on the ground and sitting his sword aside.

"You shouldn't hate history, Atemu. It's cool."

"Why shouldn't I?"

"Cause… cause… someday you're going to be king. You want people to remember you don't you?"

"I'll be dead Yuugi. I won't care."

"Sure you do. Tell the truth."

"I am. I don't think I would care."

"Uh un. You'd want people to remember all the big, wonderful things you'll do. Right?" Yuugi asked… cocking his head.

"I'll be dead. Doesn't matter."

"Sure, whatever you say. I'll hold you to it, Atemu."

"And how you going to do that, Yuugi."

"Uh?" Yuugi bit his lips. He had never expected that Atemu would actually ask him. A trail of crimson lined his cheeks causing Atemu to chuckle.

"Mou hitori no boku, mou…"

"Huh? Huh?" Atemu groaned awaking from his land of thought. A smiling Yuugi stood in front of him… his face was situated upon the table. One of his small hands was placed upon the young prince's shoulder… lightly shaking him.

"Mou hitori no boku." One of the few Japanese words Yuugi had retained after suddenly one day ultimately being able to pick up Egyptian. It just seemed to come to him without any real explanation. One day everything these people were saying didn't make an ounce, now… he couldn't even remember much of his old language The whole 'other me' thing had started as a joke. A few weeks after it was decided Yuugi could stay, Sultana had gone to find her son for a fitting. Without realizing it, she saw the back of Yuugi's head… and immediately assumed it to Atemu. Since the two boys looks so alike from the back of their heads she automatically assumed without questioning that Yuugi was Atemu. She ended up dragging a bewildered Yuugi to the fitting room. Along the way, Atemu appeared around the corner… giving her quite a fright. Ever since that day, Yuugi thought it would be cute to call Atemu 'other me'. The other found no objection to it, actually was quite pleased by his new 'pet name'.

"Wa! Yeah, aibou." Atemu groaned… blinking his eyes. He cocked his head as Yuugi giggled. 'Aibou', another word from Yuugi's old language, meant partner. Atemu liked that word and thought it suited their relationship… especially since no one else knew what it meant. A sort of a hidden code that nobody else knew about.

"Class is over. Come play with you mou hitori no boku," Yuugi declared happily… pulling the young prince's arms.

"Play?"

"Uh huh. Let's go to the garden. We can play senet again."

"Or… we could go to the training room and watch Father's priests and priestess duel."

"But Father doesn't like that, remember?" Yuugi questioned.

"So, we could sneak in and watch. Nobody will know if we're really quiet, aibou."

"But what happened if Mana finds out, she doesn't like to keep quiet." Yuugi commented. Atemu giggled… before nodding.

"Then we won't tell Mana. Besides she has magic lessons with Mahado right now."

"Oh." The younger bit his lips before nodding. Both boys left their supplies and took off for the training room. They loved watching Pharaoh's advisors duel. The two quietly filed into the training room and hid in a pot by the door. Atemu loved the wide assortment of pots that were placed so conveniently in obscure locations around the palace. He could never figure out the reason to why there were so many empty pots, but it didn't take him and Mana long to decide they were the perfect hiding places. Yuugi groaned… wiggling around in the pot. Lightly his leg brushed against Atemu causing the young prince to gasp.

The pot rattled from Atemu's quick movement causing Shimon's investigation. The pot opened… revealing the blinding white light as two overly embarrassed boys climbed out of the pot. "Prince, Yuugi, haven't you two been told not to come into the training room? Shimon questioned strongly.

"I… we… we were bored," Yuugi hastily replied causing a slight groan to escaped Atemu's lips. Bored was not a good word to use in front of Shimon. The elder priest didn't like or tolerant idleness. Atemu had learned his lesson a longed ago. It ended with an hour long lesson about how one's childhood shouldn't be wasted in idleness, and he had to copy a whole hundred pages from one of his father's tombs. Not a fun night for the young prince… unfortunately Yuugi didn't know.

"Bored… huh?" Shimon questioned…an eyebrow sticking up as he glazed at Atemu. The young prince gulped.

"No! Not bored Shimon. We… we just wanted to… come in and watch a duel. You all are so talented. No wonder you were chosen to be one of Father's loyal viziers."

"Atemu, compliments don't get you everywhere in life." Shimon scolded. "You…

"I just love how you summoned Exodia back there against Akunadin. That was so… it was a masterpiece. How gallant and powerful your ka is. Wow!" Atemu continued… not allowing elder priest to continue. Shimon sighed… shaking his head. The boy was too good for his own good. A genius with words and games… empires that neighbored Egypt would have problems in the future with negotiations especially with a Pharaoh like Atemu.

"All right. All right." Shimon sighed… raising his hands in defeat. He slipped a glance back at the unconscious Akunadin. At least no body would see him giving into the prince. A pure embarrassment… in each and every form… making Atemu's life more difficult was a part of their daily duties to train the soon-to-be king that not everything in life goes the way you wish it to go. "You may go. Just don't come back in here. Next time I can't promise that you won't be copying words."

"Yes, Shimon." Atemu chirped. He took Yuugi's hand and immediately pulled the younger with him out of the room. Once outside Yuugi immediately pulled his hand back and started rubbing his aching wrist.

"What did you do that for mou hitori no boku?"

"First of all, rule number one aibou, no matter how bored you are never admit to Shimon you are bored. Rule number two, all people under Father's rule is out to get me. They want to train and make my day as evil as possible."

"But why?"

"They think it's the best way to train my reflexes. So let me do most of the talking…especially when they are mad… or if you're around me, okay? That goes double for Shimon and Faysal." Atemu sighed… what a tortured fate he had.

"Right," Yuugi chirped. A small sweat drop formed upon his face causing the young prince to giggle. A small pout formed on Yuugi's lips… causing Atemu's laughter to increase even more. "Meanie!" The younger shouted… his cheeks bunging into the size of acorns. The young prince can't contain himself as he raised his hands… cupping Yuugi's face. The younger froze… nervous as the other's hands trailed higher and higher above his cheeks. "Mou hitori no boku," Yuugi whispered uneasily. "W… what are you doing?"

Atemu… stunned out of his unsettling state immediately drew his hands back… stunned at his action. The butterfly feeling that he felt in the pit of his stomach returned…only this time it came back ten-folded. "Uh. Want to play senet?" Atemu whispering shrugging out the words before running away… down the hall… leaving a stunned Yuugi.

It took the younger a couple of seconds to recover before looking up. "Hey!!" Yuugi shouted. A trail of laughter followed his screams before Yuugi went bonding down the corridor after his other.

****

A/N: Oh yes before I forget whenever one of the Egyptian characters mentions anything about the Sennen Item, they will say for example xA rnpt Rod, xA rnpt Ankh and so on. xA rnpt means thousand years which both sennen and millennium translates into. I thought it would weird to use sennen, a Japanese word, when they talk about the items and since I don't like using the word millennium (an item) I've decided to use the Egyptian equivalent of thousand years.

Hmm… wonder which item Yuugi should inherit. Rod, ankh, scale, ring, tauk, or eye… okay probably not eye. Too creepy… don't know if I could imagine Yuugi loosing his eye and having a gold implant. Hey! Any of you guys catch the irony in Yuugi and Atemu's conversation? ?.? Just wondering. Cause I'm not going to explain it. :P Sorry. But I'm mean like that.

Oh and as for the strange scene with the bed… yes… they seem to have a lot of strange scenes in bed. That wasn't part of the original chapter but then… right before I decided to update this fic. I was like. Omg! I never exactly explained how Yuugi learned Egyptian so freaking fast. Also with the whole, Atemu watching to teach Yuugi the language… I was like. I should actually do a scene when Atemu's teaching Yuugi Egyptian… somehow strangely it became that scene. Pure humor… only I don't think it's funny any more. I so suck at humor. As for how Yuugi figured out Egyptian in the first place… that's all speculation… for now. It will be explained later.

I'm still debating whether I should forward time by a year or not. I think I will mainly because nothing really happens in this one year inclement and besides I'm starting to discover I really stink at making people younger. T.T If anyone thinks this idea is bad (majority readers think so) tell me, then I won't forward time by a year.

Please review!! I care about what you think. Good? Bad? Okay? I want to know as long it doesn't have to do with the pairings. This fic will be a shonen-ai fic no matter what you say. I have the whole story outlined in my mind, and it won't work unless it's shonen-ai. Gomen!!


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